What if
by Whisperwings
Summary: The tale of what really happened with the Fellowship, because didn't you know that two of the members were actually female?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Young Marina Brandybuck rushed through her house, a handful of ribbons in one hand and her new apron in the other. She ran through the round front door right into the back of her mother's knees.

"Mary, there you are! It's time to leave, aren't you ready?" the woman said, looking down at her daughter. Marina raised her upset eyes to her mother's and held up her handful of ribbons. A few ribbons were already tied in sloppy bows in her curls.

"They won't go right!" she wined, and her mother laughed. Marina's father was already in the cart, and he turned to see the commotion.

"Poppy, we'll be late if we don't leave soon." He told his wife, although his eyes were twinkling.

"Don't worry Rickford; we'll simply do this in the cart on the way." Poppy laughed, and lifted Marina into the cart. As promised, she tied the girl's ribbons into her hair and helped her tie her new apron over her dress. By the time they got to Farmer Granger's apple orchard, Marina felt like she would be the prettiest girl there. She hopped out of the cart and looked around happily.

Today was one of the best days of the year, when all the families from nearby came to Farmer Granger's orchard to help with the apple harvest. While the men climbed ladders to pick apples, the tweens would climb to the higher branches that the ladders couldn't reach. Meanwhile, the younger children would run back and forth, bringing the full baskets of apples to the women who worked on making cider and tons of apple pies, also stringing apple rings to dry in the autumn air. By the end of the day, everyone was sticky and the mostly empty apple trees all sported the strung apples like party streamers. It was a day everyone looked forward to, as it was always a lot of fun.

While those who were already there waited for the rest to arrive, Marina wandered around. She stopped under a tree and looked up to see the perfect apple, hanging just out of reach. She jumped and hopped, trying in vain to reach it when suddenly someone grabbed her around the knees and raised her up. She grabbed the apple, but had a hard time pulling it off the branch. She gave a great yank and it came loose, making her and whoever had helped her tumble to the ground in a pile. By the time the two had gotten themselves untangled, they were already friends. Finally they stood and faced each other. Marina grinned at the boy in front of her who was wearing a coat which was too large for him, and already had grass stains on the elbows. He stuck out his hand.

"I'm Peregrine Took, Pippin for short." He said and smiled.

"I'm Marina Brandybuck, Mary for short." She answered, and they shook hands as if they were grownups, which made them both start laughing again.

"So why did you want that one apple so bad?" he asked her as they started walking. "There were others that you could have gotten by yourself."

"Yes, but this one was perfect!" she held it up and the bright red apple seemed to glow in her eyes. "Every year I make sure that the first apple I pick is absolutely perfect, it's a rule. Do you want to share it with me?" she asked a bit shyly. Pippin grinned at her happily, and they raced back to their parents to have them cut the perfect apple in half so they could share it. As they each munched on their share, they both knew that they'd found a friend for life.

--

"I can't do it!" Marina complained and only just refrained from tossing her flute into the woods beyond the fence of her family's yard. Her father pulled his own flute from his lips and sighed heavily. He had been trying for weeks to teach his daughter how to play the flute, but even he was loosing patience. When it came to any instrument, Marina seemed to be hopeless. She could sing like an angel, but for some reason, the music couldn't flow through her fingers at all. It was disappointing, as almost everyone in their family had been gifted with the flute, and could play most instruments with relative ease. It seemed that the talent was skipping a generation with his daughter however. But he hid his frustration, knowing that Marina hated how much she was disappointing him.

While Richford was thinking his unhappy thoughts, Marina stood and went to the fence, looking out over the small pond on the other side. She heard a friendly shout from down the road, and she looked to see Pippin and his mother coming for a visit. Marina smiled and waved, glad for the distraction. She ran inside and got a fresh loaf of cranberry orange bread and a pat of butter and brought them out to the front garden. By the time she reemerged, her best friend and his mother had been led to seats by her father. She set the bread on a small table and sat as well. Once they'd exchanged pleasantries, Marina and Pippin each grabbed a slice of the bread and walked back to the fence where they could talk in peace.

"Finally!" Pippin said gratefully once they were out of earshot. "I am about to go insane with Mother's nagging!"

"What did you do this time?" Marina half joked. Pippin had a knack for encouraging his mother's nagging.

"It's more like what I _didn't_ do. She's been trying to teach me the 'family secret', and I'm hopeless. Apparently, we can talk to animals, which is news to me. I've never understood anything any animal has ever said to me. Sounds like a bunch of noise." Marina looked up in surprise.

"You mean there are other people who understand animals sometimes?" she asked and Pippin eyed her.

"Have you ever heard them?" he asked, and she nodded, blushing.

"Birds mostly, but sometimes I hear other animals too. I always thought it was my imagination."

"Huh, maybe _you_ should learn my family secret instead of _me_." Marina snorted.

"And you can learn mine; you've always been good with a flute. I on the other hand could not play a tune if my life depended on it." She smacked him lightly on the shoulder with the flute she still held. He took it and started playing. The tune was beautiful, if simple, and Marina hummed along wishing she could play half so well. A small robin landed on the fence, and said something about Pippin having natural talent and that he must be part bird. Marina giggled.

"But he can't sing at all, and isn't that what birds are really good at?" she asked the robin, who nodded in consent and hopped obligingly onto her finger. Marina started dancing, keeping it slow and smooth so she wouldn't dislodge her passenger. As the song Pippin was playing turned into a folk song they both knew, Marina started softly singing the words along with him.

Meanwhile, Richford and Letty, Pippin's mother, were each talking about their own child's hopelessness. They looked over to see Pippin playing Marina's flute and Marina chatting with a robin who sat on her finger. They looked at each other and both chuckled. It looked like they would be switching students after this afternoon.

--

"It's not going to work." Marina said pointedly, but Pippin ignored her. Somehow he had gotten the idea into his head that he wanted to build a raft. So now, they were down at a nearby pond. Marina sat on a tree stump watching, and laughing occasionally. Pippin was knee deep in the water, his trousers rolled up but still getting damp from his splashing. He was tying large branches together with twine that he'd snuck from his house. At least, that's what he was trying to do. But his branches kept floating away as they came loose from his sloppy rope work, and he was having a hard time accomplishing his goal. Finally, after a few minutes of struggle, he stood straight to admire his handiwork. Marina could tell it would fall apart the moment Pippin tried to use it to float anything.

"Finished." The hobbit said happily, and Marina rolled her eyes.

"I told you, it's not going to work. The moment you try to actually use it it'll fall apart." She laughed. Pippin glared at her and climbed out of the water. He stood on another sump nearby and her eyes widened. He was going to test it himself! At that moment he jumped and landed square in the middle of his raft.

Marina stood as well in surprise as she was splashed with the cool water. She opened her eyes to see Pippin sitting in the water. It came up to his chin, and logs, sticks and twine were floating away. She took one look at her sopping friend and burst out laughing. He glared at her again. She tried to smother her giggle as she went forward. She held out her hand to help him up as a peace offering and he took it. Unfortunately, instead of allowing her to help him up, he yanked her arm and pulled her down into the water as well. She gasped for air as she shook her curls, wiping water from her face.

"You little…brat!" she exclaimed, too shocked to come up with a better insult. Now Pippin laughed heartily, and Marina couldn't stop her own laughter as well. She stood carefully, allowing Pippin to pull her up. "Now then, Pip, I suggest that if you want to play around on a raft so bad, that we head 

over to Buckleberry Ferry. It was built by those who actually _know_ what they're doing, and as such won't fall apart." He glared at her, and she simply smiled. Finally he laughed and agreed, leading the way, dripping through the forest in the direction of the Buckleberry Pier.

--

_Well here you are, the new beginning to my story XD Please tell me what you think! __And I know it's short, but I lost the notebook with all of these original senarios in it and I can't for the life of me find it again! So I am rewriting all of these from memory which is proving more difficult in some ways, but in others is very gratifying. Since my writing had greatly improved since I wrote them originally, I can only hope that the rewrites are much easier on the brain _

_Please review, tell me if you like or dislike the story thus far. And if you have any ideas for Marina and Pippin pre-movie stories, i'll definatly take them into consideration for the coming chapters!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Marina and Pippin laughed and joked all the way down the road. They were on their way to the Green Dragon, a pub in Hobbiton which was said to be the best. Pippin was very excited and practically bouncing rather than walking down the dirt paths. Marina couldn't help but smile at his antics. The two of them frequented the pub near their own homes, but this was the first time they'd been allowed to go such a distance on their own. With Pippin's habit of getting drunk every time they went out, it wasn't surprising that their parents were unwilling to let them go. Well, it was only their mothers really. Both of their fathers had told their wives to 'let the young'uns go out and have a good time'. This was really the only reason that the two friends had been able to go at all.

"Oh Mari, this is so exciting! Just imagine how good the ale is. And I have to mention the barmaids as well; I believe Rosie Cotton works there!" Pippin said to her excitedly.

"Pip, Rosie is one of the most sought after girls in the Shire! What makes you think_ you_ have any chance with her? Besides, she happens to be a good friend of mine, and I don't want you bothering her any."

"You know _the_ Rosie Cotton? Brilliant! You can introduce us! Why haven't you told me so before?"

"Because I knew you'd act like that." Marina pointed out laughing. "She's a very sweet girl, and she has her eyes on someone else, so don't even bother."

"What? Who?"

"As if I would tell you! Knowing you, you'd challenge him to a duel, and then get yourself beat up." She said with a smirk. And for such a hot-head, he completely ignored her insult.

"Ah ha! You said 'him'! Which means it's a guy!" he said sticking a finger in the air as if he'd figured out some important clue. Marina stopped short and stared at him. He realized what he'd said and blushed, scratching the back of his head. "I suppose that won't narrow down my search much will it?" Finally Marina burst into laughter and started walking again.

"No Pip, it really won't." she said trying to stop her giggles. He finally registered her earlier insult and reddened as he glared at her.

"And I wouldn't get beat up!" he said, and she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, one eye brow raised. He reddened again, but this time in slight embarrassment. "Well, I might not…" She giggled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry Pip, I'd avenge your honor if he beat you." She smirked at her.

"Not sure if that's a compliment or an insult, get avenged by a girl." She put her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry did you say something?" she asked and Pippin put his hands behind his back innocently.

"No, not a thing." He said, and she glared playfully.

"That's what I thought." Their banter continued like this as the sun set and the town of Hobbiton came into view. They joyfully picked up a bit of speed and went directly to the Green Dragon. It was obvious which building it was thanks to the crowd of people headed there and the sign with a green dragon hanging high above the roof.

They entered to find a large common room, slightly dim as the sun went down and the candles were lit, and very hazy from all the pipes being smoked. One side of the room was full of singing hobbits, while the older ones sat along the opposite wall talking and gossiping. Marina felt her smile grow, and looked at Pippin to his doing the same. They went straight to the bar for drinks. A girl with curly blond hair turned around and smiled at them.

"Marina! I haven't seen you for a while, what can I get you tonight?" she exclaimed and Marina grinned. She was fully aware that Pippin was gaping at her. She knew he hadn't entirely believed her when she said she knew Rosie Cotton.

"Hello Rosie! I think we'll be starting with two ales if you please." Rosie nodded and started pouring the drinks. "Oh, this is Pippin by the way, I think I've told you about him before." Rosie nodded as she handed them their drinks.

"Yes indeed." She said with a smile. "A few funny stories come directly to mind." She winked at Pippin, and Marina giggled as he flushed.

"What exactly had she told you about me?" Rosie actually reached over the bar and tapped Pippin's nose, making Marina laugh out loud.

"That's between us girls. Now off you go, I have other customers to serve Pippin. I'll see you later Marina." She said and was promptly stolen away by other people wanting drinks. Marina grabbed both ales in one hand and dragged Pippin over to a table with the other. He soon forgot the incident as he got a bit more ale into his system and joined the other singers. Marina stayed at her table in the corner. She was always a bit shy around those she hadn't met, and enjoyed watching the others. She laughed at her friend and kept to herself. At least until someone else sat down at her table.

"Why aren't you singing if you don't mind me asking." He said and she looked at him.

"Not in a singing mood I suppose."

"Ah, a shy one. Not many of those here." She blushed.

"Once I've met someone I'm fine, it's the part before that that I have trouble with."

"Well in that case, I'll simply have to introduce you to everybody!" he grabbed her arm and pulled her away, barely giving her time to grab her mug. In the next half hour she was taken to each and every table in the inn and introduced. By the time they had done so, she had lost all shyness whatsoever, and was glad for her new friend. As they sat down back at the corner table where she'd started, she thought of something.

"I now know everyone in this room except for you." She said, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. She smiled as he smacked himself in the forehead.

"Would you believe, I didn't even realize! My name is Frodo, Frodo Baggins." She giggled and shook the offered hand.

"Marina Brandybuck, at your service." He laughed himself at her pointless introduction, seeing as he had heard her say her name at every table in the inn by now.

"So the one dancing on the table, who you came in with, I assume he's a friend?" he said pointing at Pippin who was indeed dancing on the table, and sloping ale all over his shirt. She nodded her head with a sigh.

"Yes, my best friend sadly enough." She said, her voice sad but her eyes sparkling. "And it looks like he's drunk himself silly…again. I think we'll be renting rooms tonight, I'd hate to try and walk home with him in _that_ state." She said with a laugh, and Frodo joined her.

"Why stay at the Inn? You two can come and stay with me at Baggend. My uncle won't mind, and there's plenty of room. As good as the Green Dragon is for an Inn, there's nothing like staying at Baggend for a night." Marina laughed again.

"I'm sure it is! I've heard some incredible stories about your uncle, Mr. Baggins. And I'm not entirely sure if they're true or not." Frodo gave her a lopsided grin.

"I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you all about them. Tomorrow though, when your friend is a bit more sober." He said with a chuckle. She nodded decisively.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another ale to get and a song to join." She said as she jumped up and gracefully danced through the crowd to the bar. There she chatted a bit with Rosie, and then joined in Pippin's song.

By the time the tavern of the inn closed down, Marina was yawning but very happily so. She had had a wonderful time. Pippin was completely unable to walk straight, and so she wrapped his arm around her shoulders as Frodo led them to Baggend. Once there, Frodo let them in and she had to gasp at how large it was. The first spare room was given to Pippin. They walked into the room and he smiled drunkenly.

"Ah bed!" Marina half carried him to it and was about to help him sit down when he kissed her on the cheek. "You're the best girl I know Mari." He flopped down and was snoring in seconds. Marina 

on the other hand left the room quickly, blushing furiously. Instead of letting Frodo show her to her room, she practically ran back outside. She looked at the tree growing on the top of the hill, she smiled grimly. She went to the trunk and in a matter of minutes, she was up at the highest point she could get to and still have a comfortable place to sit.

She was glad to be alone now. What Pippin said had hurt her, for reasons she couldn't understand. She felt someone sit next to her and looked to see Frodo.

"You left so fast I wasn't sure I'd find you again." He said quietly.

"How did you find me then?"

"Because this is where I come when I don't want to be found." He said with a half smile which she couldn't help but return.

"Looks like we'll both have to find somewhere else to hide then, huh?" She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.

"Looks like…so why exactly did you run off like that?"

"Honestly I'm not sure, I just desperately need air suddenly."

"Was it what Pippin said?"

"Well, I think so, but I don't understand why…"

"Do you love him?" Frodo asked and she looked at him shocked.

"I-I don't think so. At least not the way that you mean. He's my best friend, I've never really thought of him as anything more. I guess…what he said-it came out of nowhere. It was…surprising."

"Well, in that case I'm glad." He said and grinned.

"Glad? Why?"

"Because I won't feel bad for asking you to come visit again. I'll gladly treat you to dinner." He was blushing; she could see it in the moonlight. Marina blushed herself.

"I'd like that." she said shyly. He smiled and stood ready to climb down.

"Excellent! Well then, I'm off to bed. Are you staying?"

"For a bit longer, yes."

"Alright, your room is across from Pippin's. I'll see you in the morning." He said with a smile and climbed back down the tree. Marina smiled to herself and leaned against the tree trunk, watching the stars once again.

--

Marina groaned as someone jumping on her bed made her wake up. She didn't have to open her eyes to know who it was either.

"Pip if you don't leave me alone, I won't rest until I learn a spell to set your head on fire." She said, her voice cracking with sleepiness.

"Mari, I don't care if you set my head on fire right now, it'll keep off the cold. It snowed last night, it's the first snowfall of the season!" He jumped in his seat at the end of the bed, making one of her pillows fall to the floor. Finally she opened her eyes against the glare coming from the window and looked at Pippin. He was smiling happily, unbelievably awake for the early hours of the morning. She could never understand how he was able to get up so early, even if he'd been up late the night before. But his happiness was contagious, and Marina had to admit, she'd been looking forward to the first snowfall. It was later than usual this year, and a white midwinter was always better than a dead brown one.

"Alright I'm up, I'm up!" She said, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. She sat up looking at Pippin with sleepy eyes.

"What? He asked as she just sat and looked at him. She raised an eyebrow and nodded to the door pointedly. "Oh!" he said and blushed. "Sorry 'bout that, I'll just be leaving now then. I'll meet you outside, shall I?" He backed out of the room, a sheepish grin the entire time. Marina burst into giggles as he closed the door, and she heard him laughing through the wood as well. She hopped out of bed and went to her wardrobe, dressing warmly with a smile on her face.

When she emerged from the house, Marina was wearing two petticoats, a thick red wool skirt, wool socks, her warmest boots, a white blouse and a sweater over it which was a dark red. Her light brown cloak went over it all, white her reddish brown curls spilled down her back, the front strands pulled back and pinned with a butterfly shaped clip. Her cheeks flushed in the chill, and her eyes sparkled in a special 'first snow' kind of way. Pippin always thought she looked lovely on the first snow of the winter, which was why he always rushed to wake her when the snow finally came. He had never told her this of course, and wasn't planning to either. Instead he simply smiled at her in his usual friendly way.

"Up for a walk then?" He asked and she smiled happily.

"Absolutely." The two of them went along the road between their houses, which they couldn't see under the snow. Thankfully they'd gone this way so many times they could follow it blind folded, so the snow didn't make much of a difference. Unwilling to disturb the beautiful white clearness of the forest, they walked single file, Marina stepping in Pippin's footprints rather than creating her own. As they walked by a lake however, Marina stepped off the path and down to the water's edge. As Pippin flopped down to create a snow angel, she walked a bit father to chat with the swan couple who swam over to see her.

"Greetings Nightingale." The male said, bowing his head to her. Marina curtsied in return. The language of the animals couldn't pronounce the names they were given as hobbits, so they simply called her whatever she resembled most of their own kind. To the birds, she was Nightingale, because of her singing voice.

"Good morn to you white brother, white sister." She answered, nodding to each of the birds as she addressed them. "I suppose now that the snow has come you'll be flying to warmer places until the earth thaws?" The female nodded.

"Yes, our friends and families flew yesterday, knowing what was to come. But my mate and I decided to wait, so we could look at the world as it became our own colors. It makes us feel like the gods are honoring us swans, by painting the land to look like us." There was a twinkle in the lady bird's eye, and Marina smiled in return. The swan was only joking about the gods and their honor; they simply thought the snow was as pretty as themselves. As vain as swans were, they were also very kind.

"But the cold we've experienced last night was enough to make us leave as the sun rises. We have a ways to go today, and should get an early start." The male said. He bowed his head once more. "Have a good cold season Nightingale, we shall see you after the thaw." The female swan nodded her head as well, and Marina curtsied to them as they took off and flew south. Pippin came up behind her.

"I only understood your half of the conversation, but I suppose there was something in there about them being pretty and such?" he asked. He didn't like swans, as one had chased him when he was younger. Marina laughed.

"They said they wanted to see the world as it turned into their colors, white with black."

"Black? What black?"

"Look at the trees Pip." Marina said exasperatedly. "What color do they look when wet?" Pippin looked and turned red.

"Black." He said quietly, embarrassed. Marina patted him on the head.

"There you go youngling." She stooped down and grabbed a fistful of snow, and packed it into a snowball. It was the perfect consistency for packing, and she grinned a bit evilly as Pippin started to lead the way back to the road. She aimed, threw, and the snowball exploded onto the back of his head, half of it sticking and sliding under the collar on his jacket. He yelped and jumped. First from the hit, and then from the cold snow going down his back. He turned to see Marina laughing so hard she was about to fall over. But the moment he stooped to make a snowball of his own, she ran for the trees, ducking and disappearing between the trunks. He smiled, knowing all he had to do was follow her footprints to find her.

"Who's the smart one now?" He asked himself and quietly followed his friend's trail. Marina meanwhile had rushed around in large zigzags, looking for something she could use to her advantage. She spotted a heavily snow laden branch, and smiled. She carefully walked directly under the branch, then walked backwards, stepping in her own footprints. When she was far enough away, she jumped to the side and behind a tree, making it look as if she'd disappeared entirely. She made her way back to the other tree and stood behind it, waiting patiently. Pippin arrived shortly after looking confident. His confidence disappeared when he came to the end o her footprints. He looked around in confusion, and finally at the snow laden branch above his head. Marina gave the tree a good shake, and since it was a younger sapling, it swayed nicely. The pile of snow landed right on Pippin's head, almost burying him entirely. She burst out laughing and took off running once again.

Meanwhile, Frodo was walking along the road on the way to Marina's house. He'd stopped at Pippin's home first, and his family had told him that his friend was probably at Marina's again. Frodo chuckled at the two. It was perfectly obvious to him that Pippin had feelings for the girl, and that Marina was developing some serious feelings for Pippin as well.

He and Marina had courted for short time, but it didn't take long for either of them to discover that the spark needed in a relationship simply wasn't there. The result had been that they were closer than most siblings, and cared for each other just as much. As he walked he heard laughing coming from the forest on his left and turned to see Marina! She was red cheeked and breathless, but her eyes were sparkling with laughter. Behind her was a very snowy Pippin. Frodo laughed as Marina ducked behind him.

"Save me!" She asked him, trying to catch her breath. Pippin stomped onto the road, shaking snow from his hair and shivering as pieces kept going down his collar.

"You look rather cold there Pip!" Frodo said, still laughing.

"Hand her over Frodo!" Pippin said. He would have sounded frightening if his mouth hadn't been trying to twitch into a smile the whole time. Frodo raised his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"I'm not doing anything, leave me out of it!" he protested. Marina and Pippin looked at each other and grinned almost identical evil smiles. Frodo barely had time to widen his eyes before they both tackled him into the snow.

Sam strolled along, a large wrapped thermos of hot chocolate and cookies in a basket. The day before, Frodo had invited him along to visit Marina and Pippin, but he'd left early. Sam was following his friend's footsteps from Baggend to Pippin's house, and was now on the road to Marina's. He stopped in surprise at the sight now before him. Frodo was laying on his back in the snow, his arms pinned by Pippin. Marina stood above him, her foot on Frodo's chest and her hands on her hips like she was a conquering hero. Frodo saw Sam and renewed his futile struggles.

"Sam! Help!" He cried out, but Sam was too busy laughing to notice, dropping his basket right into a snow drift. That mental image would never leave his head, and be good to cheer himself up later on, he could tell. He sat right down in the snow and wiped tears from his eyes. They others soon fell into the snow themselves they were laughing so hard, and Frodo didn't bother to even sit up as he laughed. 

Finally as they calmed down they all helped each other stand, and all headed to Pippin's house to dry off, warm up, and eat Sam's reheated snacks.

_Yes I have finally got a move on! Although this chapter has been done for a while now, I was stuck on 3 and i didn't want to upload until I was certain i'd be able to update at a somewhat consistint manner. I hope you enjoyed the read, and I hope you enjoy these changes, as I had a great time writing them. Please review!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Marina woke up and smiled right away. Today was Mr. Bilbo's 111th birthday, and she was going to help with the party preparations. She and Pippin had come up to Hobbiton the night before, to visit with Bilbo and Frodo, and inform the man that he was going to have to stay inside Baggend until Marina came to get him when everything was ready. It was the perfect place for him, as he could work on his various projects, and none of his windows were facing the direction of the party tree, where they'd be setting up. Marina practically jumped out of bed and got dressed in her working clothes. She put on brown leather leggings first so that she wouldn't have to worry about making sure her skirt covered everything which she was climbing trees and such. A long rose blouse of light cotton was tucked into a darker rose colored skirt of an only slightly heavier material. A brown cinch belt held the loose shirt close, but allowed her to move freely. She tied her hair into a ponytail at the base of her neck and tied a rose colored ribbon around it. Finally she slipped on her new leather boots. Then she went to the dining area to find Pippin, a sleepy Frodo, and an excited Bilbo getting breakfast.

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully to them all, getting various degrees of a good morning from them all in return. She buttered a roll and speared a sausage with a fork, and held one in each hand munching happily on both. She washed it all down with some fresh apple juice, and dragged Pippin out the door and away from his mountain of pancakes.

"But I'm still hungry!" He complained.

"You're always hungry Pippin, and if we let you eat until you're full we'll be here all day. You already had one plate, leave the rest for poor Bilbo who can't leave the house." She turned at the front door to Frodo who had followed them. "Watch your uncle for a while, or he'll try and sneak out. Convince him that the surprise will be worth the wait and that he should stay put." Frodo nodded and went back to the breakfast table.

"Awww…how come he gets to eat more?" Pippin complained as they strolled down the path away from Baggend.

"Oh quit your whining Pip, we'll have snacks all day, and tons to eat tonight. You'll survive without stuffing your face all morning for once. It might even be good for you."

"Good for me? How is it good if I starve to death before lunch?! You, my lady, have black heart." Pippin teased.

"A black heart? What are you talking about? I don't have a heart!" Marina said happily, skipping off down the road as Pippin laughed and raced after her. When they got to the clearing around the party tree, they saw that many hobbits were already working. A large group of women were comparing what they already cooked, and who was going to cook what today. The men were working on setting up tents and bringing barrel upon barrel of ale. There was already a mountain of the barrels there, and they were starting on the second. At the base of tree were the tweens around the same age as Marina and Pippin, trying to figure out what to do. Marina and Pippin went over to them.

"Hey everyone!" Marina said and was greeted in return. "I think the first thing we need to do is figure out what needs to be done!" she joked, and everyone chuckled and gathered around.

"We need tables and chairs." "We also need a stage for dancing and the band." "We're going to need lots and lots of dishes." Came the various suggestions.

"We have to hang the lights in the party tree and all the other trees in the area." Pippin said. Marina nodded and raised her hands to quiet everyone down.

"Alright," she started. "I'm going to start by going around to houses in the area, asking people if they have tables, chairs, or dishes that we can borrow. Who wants to join me?" About half the crowd raised their hands. "Now, those of you who want to start building the stage, will need wood and tools, and those who want to work on lights need to start collecting them and putting them together. Now off you go everyone!" Everyone scampered off to do whatever they felt like doing. It would have happened eventually even if Marina hadn't stepped in, but she knew they needed to get started sooner rather than later. She started going door to door, asking for anything the people could donate. She found there wasn't much running back and forth, because the people usually volunteered to bring their things to the clearing for her, and they joined in the group who was setting everything up. When she'd pretty much emptied the houses nearby, she went back to the party tree.

She saw a pile of colored paper lanterns sitting near the trunk of the party and grabbed as many as she could. She spent the next few hours climbing various trees and hanging the lanterns to that they could be easily lit and wouldn't set the leaves in fire. She was finishing up one of the smaller trees by the road when she heard the sound of a wagon and laughter. One she knew was Frodo, and she pretty sure she knew the other occupant as well. Her suspicions were confirmed as they came around the corner, Gandalf the Grey steering the pony down the road right past her. She smiled and waited until they went past her tree, then dropped to the ground gracefully. Gandalf stopped the cart and looked at her in surprise.

"Hello Gandalf!" she said happily waving to him and Frodo. "Here for Bilbo's birthday?"

"Yes, how could I miss it?" Gandalf asked her with a friendly smile. "My dear, you look lovely, I'm sure I'm not the only one who can't wait to see you all dressed up tonight." Marina blushed deeply and shook her head.

"Not as far as I know sir." She said. "But speaking of the party, I should get back to work." She nodded back to her tree. Gandalf nodded.

"I'll see you later, I trust you and your friend won't be causing any trouble tonight." he said teasingly, and she smiled.

"No promises there Gandalf!" she climbed back up into her tree as the wagon rolled off, and smiled to herself. Gandalf being here meant fireworks, and his were always so lovely! She couldn't wait until it got dark enough that he'd start setting them off. They made her feel like one of the younglings once again.

Eventually, everything was ready except the hobbits themselves. Marina looked around for Rosie Cotton. They'd planned on getting ready together, and were both excited. Once they found each other, they went to Rosie's rooms in the Green Dragon to prepare. They took quick baths, brushed each other's hair, and helped each other to get dressed in their party clothes. Finally, they put on simple makeup, and did each other's hair. Marina was putting ribbons in Rosie's hair when her friend's nervousness started to kick in.

"Do you think the ribbons will be too much with the flowers? I don't want to be over dressed." She said softly, turning her head to try and see Marina's handiwork in the mirror. Marina made her look straight ahead once more.

"Hold still. And no it won't be too much. Besides, I know a certain gardener who loves it when you wear ribbons in your hair." Marina teased. Rosie blushed deeply, a smile creeping onto her lips.

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so! He can't keep his eyes off of you normally, but when you wear ribbons in your hair, he stares at you almost constantly!" Rosie looked at her hands in her lap, trying to hide her smile. "You really like him don't you?" Marina asked her, all seriousness now. Rosie nodded.

"I do. He's kind, and strong…it's hard to explain."

"No offence, but he's not…well the brightest candle." Marina pointed out. She knew Sam's good heart was worth more than brains, but she didn't want Rosie liking him for the wrong reasons.

"I know, and it doesn't matter! When it comes to certain things, Sam is more brilliant than the most talented of minstrels. He has a way of knowing what needs to be said, and says them as if he were a poet himself. And he has a heart of gold. Unlike most men who try and woo me his feelings are real, and he doesn't want to make a move simply because he is completely oblivious to my feelings for him." Marina had to smile at Rosie's adamant tone. Like Sam, Rosie was a simple girl with a simple heart. And all she wanted was a simple life. And Sam would be able to give that to her. She hugged her friend around the shoulders from behind.

"You two are _so_ perfect for each other. Make sure he realizes that tonight, alright?" She told Rosie, who nodded resolutely.

"But first, we'll need to make our first impressions on our lads!" Rosie said, hopping up from her seat in excitement. She grabbed Marina's arm and dragged her down the stairs, off to find the boys.

Pippin, Sam and Frodo strolled along. They were to meet the girls in front of the Green Dragon, but Frodo insisted that they take their time. 'Girls are always slow' He kept saying. And so they walked along in no rush. When they arrived, they automatically assumed that they'd be waiting for a while longer, and stood around, each drinking a mug of ale. Then Frodo tapped their shoulders and pointed behind them.

"Gentlemen, I think they beat us here actually." He said, sounding slightly in awe. Sam turned quickly, and his jaw almost hit the ground. Pippin turned as well, wondering what they were going on about. He noticed Rosie right away. Her blond curls were intertwined with tiny blue and white flowers and blue ribbons. Her blue dress was pretty as well, and her cheeks were pink as she noticed Sam staring. She pointed them out to the girl she was talking to, and when her companion turned, Pippin felt his own eyes go wide.

It was Marina, and she looked gorgeous! She wore an un-dyed cotton blouse, with sleeves that went just past her elbows. Over it was a sleeveless, pale green dress. A deep green sash pulled it tight around her waist, giving it definition. It tied in a bow in the back, the ends reaching the back of her knees. Her hair had been allowed to remain loose tonight, a crown of roses and leaves resting gently on her head, green ribbons hanging from it to wind with her rich brown curls. But her face was what caught his attention most. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her brown eyes sparkled with happy mischief. Her smile was so lovely tonight, that he wished he could carry an image of it around with him forever. He felt he would never despair again if he could just see Marina looking this lovely all the time. When she noticed them, her smile grew and she waved, leading Rosie over as well.

"There you lads are! What took you so long?" she exclaimed jovially, not even noticing the stares she was receiving from the three and others around them. Pippin rushed to answer her question.

"Frodo kept saying there was no rush because girls were slow." He managed to get out. Frodo elbowed him, but the girls just laughed.

"I should probably go get Bilbo; he's probably ready to go mad right about now!" Marina pointed out. She hitched up her skirts and dashed off to Baggend. When she got there, she knocked on the round door. Bilbo himself opened it before she got to the third knock. She giggled as he smiled a bit sheepishly. "Ready?" she asked him and he nodded. He held out his arm and she took it, feeling like a great lady. They got to the party area to find it supposedly deserted. Bilbo looked around.

"Well it looks…nice. You did a good job doing this all by yourself." Bilbo said, knowing perfectly well that everyone was hiding. It didn't help that most of the party goers were completely obvious in their hiding places. So many people hid in one tent that the sides were bulging and wiggling. Feet stuck out from the many tables, and the arms reaching to dip their mugs into ale barrels showed where hobbits hid behind them. Marina giggled, playing her part.

"I'm afraid very few people could make it. I suppose that we'll just have to eat all this food ourselves!" At that, a few of the more dense hobbits jumped up in protest. Everyone else jumped up shouting 'Surprise!' trying to cover up for the other's mistake. Bilbo laughed and clapped, enjoying the entire show thoroughly. As a result everyone started clapping for him for his birthday. He bowed graciously and gestured to her.

"Let's all congratulate my lovely escort!" he exclaimed, and as Marina blushed the clapping started up all over again. He leaned closer to say something and she turned an ear to hear him over the ruckus. "You do look lovely tonight my dear." He was saying, and she smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"It was all for you Mr. Bilbo. Happy Birthday." She said into his ear and skipped off into the crowd. Just as she found her friends, Gandalf started setting off his fireworks, and she joined them in cheering.

An hour later the party was in full swing. Everyone was eating, drinking and having a grand time. Marina and Pippin laughed as Frodo pushed Sam out onto the dance floor to join Rosie.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks they're an obvious couple!" Marina exclaimed, watching them twirl around the dance floor. "I'm going to go get a slice of Mrs. Relna's cherry pie, anyone else want some before it's all gone?" she asked and both Pippin and Frodo raised their hands. She laughed as she wound her way through the various tables and tents. Finally, she reached Mrs. Relna's table of pies. She was famous for her desserts, which was saying something in the hobbit community.

"Why little Marina! Why I haven't seen you since…well, since you were shorter than I!" Mrs. Relna exclaimed, and Marina laughed. Mrs. Relna was indeed short, and for a hobbit, every centimeter made a large difference. It had only been two years ago that Marina was shorter though, she had shot up an entire two centimeters since then.

"Good evening Mrs. Relna, having a good time?" she asked the older woman.

"Oh yes indeed. 111 years of age, Bilbo shall outlive us all at this rate! He still looks as handsome as he did years ago." She said with a wink. "Now then my dear, I'm guessing you didn't come over just to chat, did you want something in particular?" she asked, waving at her table of desserts. Marina smiled.

"I need three slices of your cherry pie. I have two lads waiting on them, and I dare not keep them waiting!" she told the woman, who laughed. Mrs. Relna got out three slices of the cherry pie on small plates and waved goodbye as Marina left, already busy with someone else. When she placed the pie in front of Pippin and Frodo they both toasted her with their mugs, and dug in happily. She ate slower, enjoying every bite of the delicious pie. It really was the best in the Shire, and she didn't want to waste a crumb of it. As she savored her last bite, she saw Gandalf shoot off another large firework. 'He must have larger fireworks than that.' She thought to herself, and it sparked an idea in her brain. She grabbed Pippin's arm and pulled him from the table, ignoring his protests. "Oh shush, I have an idea!" she said in his ear. He shut up immediately, knowing that this was going to be good. She led him behind a tent and they looked around the corner to see Gandalf's wagon of fireworks. Pippin got the idea right off and grinned.

"Perfect!" he whispered. Marina smiled, and they crept forward. Pippin scrambled into the wagon while Marina kept a look out for anyone coming. He lifted normal green firework and she rolled her eyes.

"No, a big one!" He dug around and his eyes went wide as he pulled up a huge red dragon shaped firework. Marina clapped her hands quietly, very excited. What a boom that would make! Pippin climbed back down to the ground just as someone came their way. Marina pushed Pippin into a tent nearby and pulled the flap closed behind her. When she turned around he pushed the firework at her, kneeled and lit the fuse before she could protest. Realizing she was holding a lit firework she pushed it back at him.

"It's supposed to be stuck in the ground!" she whisper shouted to the idiot.

"It was in the ground." He pushed it at her and she retaliated.

"_Outside_." She finished angrily.

"Hey, this was your idea-" he said, and was about to insult her when the thing exploded. Marina fell backwards, thankful that the firework hadn't been aimed at her face when it went off. She heard Pippin scream like a little girl, and looked to make sure he was alright. His face was completely black and his hair stood on end but he was fine. She lay back and giggled. Pippin looked at her oddly. Her hair was fine, but a large sooty smudge went across her nose and one cheek. He laughed at her. "Hehe, you're all dirty!" Marina just sat up and looked at him.

"Pippin, your face is completely black, who are _you_ to be calling others dirty?" She giggled again as Pippin touched his face with a finger that came away filthy. He then realized his hair was sticking up in all directions and she laughed harder. Finally, she looked up to see the firework they'd set off flying high, pulling the entire tent with it. Then, at the height of its climb, it exploded in the most fantastic display she'd ever seen from a single firework. She sighed happily and stood, watching the magnificence.

Then as Pippin stood up beside her, the thing condensed into a red ball of flame, and started swooping down to the party. It unfurled wings and a majestic head appeared as well. And suddenly, a full out dragon was flying low over the party! Pippin pulled her down to the ground with him as the things belly went right over their heads. They rolled over and watched as it flew off into the distance, fading into sparks and finally exploding once again. If the first display had been incredible, this one was magnificent! Marina didn't think she'd ever seen so many different colors in her life! She cheered along with everyone else, and Pippin pulled her into a standing position once more.

"That was good." She whispered satisfactorily.

"Let's get another one!" Pippin said. Marina didn't even get the chance to bop her friend upside the head for such a dumb idea when someone placed a very large hand on each of their shoulders. They both looked up to see Gandalf looking slightly annoyed and slightly amused. Thankfully he didn't look angry. She smiled guiltily, knowing Pippin was doing the same.

"Marina Brandybuck and Peregrine Took." He sighed. "I might have known." He didn't say another word, simply leading them to the washer's tent where the hundreds of dishes were constantly being washed so that they could be used once again. The two lads working there now both had sooty faces, and Marina had to giggle. Gandalf nodded his head to them and they dropped their aprons and dashed away, cheering to be joining the party once again. "Get to work you two." The wizard said. Marina and Pippin looked at each other and sighed, but went to work.

_--_

_Alright, now we're getting somewhere! Welcome back to your feature presentation everyone, I hope you enjoy it! Especially as I find a way to integrate my more recent changes into the chapters I already had written . Wish me luck and please review! It inspires me to write every time I get a review, so the more I get the faster the next chapter will be up :P_

_You're Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Marina wiped her soapy hands on her apron and sighed. She then picked up the stack of clean dishes and carried them over to the table where they were soon grabbed by someone who'd been waiting for a clean stack. She looked longingly at the people on the dance floor before turning. She was about to get back to scrubbing when Pippin appeared in front of her, and started talking to Gandalf.

"Let Marina go have fun. I can keep going here." He told the wizard. Marina stared. What was he doing? She stepped forward quickly.

"If anyone should get out of here, it's Pippin. It was my idea to take a firework in the first place."

"Yeah well I lit the thing." Pippin pointed out, and Marina turned to him.

"And I didn't stop you did I?"

"Well you didn't have much ch-" they were cut off by Gandalf's laughter. They both looked at him wondering what was so funny.

"Since you two are so eager to get each other out to have fun, why don't you both go find your friends?" they just stared and the wizard shooed them away. "Go on now, off with you!" Pippin grabbed Marina's hand before she could ask why the wizard was letting them leave. He pulled her all the way to the dance floor as she laughed.

"What's the rush?" she asked her friend, and he smiled at her crookedly.

"I noticed you watching the dancers while we were stuck cleaning. So this is our first stop!" he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He then pulled her out onto the dance floor and they both blended seamlessly into the dance as if they'd been there from the beginning. Marina was surprised to find how good Pippin was at dancing; his usual klutziness was nowhere to be seen. They finished the first dance and went through the entire second one before they were tired. Then the band started a slower song as a break for the dancers, and Marina and Pippin started to sway with the music.

And suddenly to Marina, the dance felt different from all the others she'd had with Pippin before. Time seemed to slow down a bit, the moon seemed to shine brighter, and everything seemed more alive. And at the same time, everything around her seemed dull to her eyes, as she could only focus on herself and Pippin gently going around the dance floor. The dance was pretty simple. Gentle turns and twirls. Pippin started hating every second that Marina was in a turn away from him, and the moment she was back in his arms, he didn't want to let go. And every time they could, their eyes met. Marina didn't remember Pippin's eyes ever shining so much, and Pippin couldn't understand why he'd never noticed how green Marina's were.

When the song ended, they stayed frozen for a moment, neither wanting the moment to go away, but the applause of everyone watching made them both drop their arms quickly. Marina led the 

way off the stage, sitting down a bit heavily and trying to make her heart stop beating so fast. Frodo came over and sat next to her. He noticed the intense look on her face and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. She quickly looked at him, then back at her lap. She shook her head trying to dislodge the blush that had blossomed there.

"Oh, yes. Yes I'm fine." She said quickly, and he got suspicious. She was hiding something, he could tell. He noticed that Pippin was just as quiet on the other side of the table. He was staring at his mug of ale, not drinking a drop which was most unlike him. Frodo looked between the two and grinned. He knew it! Something had happened, and now both of his friends were aware that they had feelings for each other. Of course from the looks of them, they had no idea that the other felt the same. Well he'd have to change that, wouldn't he? But before he could say a word, the crowd started calling out "speech!" and his uncle was making his way to an overturned tub on the stage. Everyone cheered and he waved his hands to quiet them down. Frodo joined in the clapping, knowing that he'd have plenty of time to set up his friends later on.

Marina was having trouble focusing on Bilbo's speech. As he said hello to all the different groups who had come and spoke to them, she could only think one thing. Was she falling for Pippin? She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was watching Bilbo and sipping from his mug of ale. He wasn't bad looking she realized. He wasn't wanting for the ladies attention, she'd always known. He was funny and good looking. Childlike occasionally, but he knew how to act the grown up when he needed to. Generally he didn't need to though because that was always left up to her. They'd been friends for so many years that she couldn't remember the time before they'd met. She could barely come up with five days that they hadn't seen each other in the past year, and the same for every year before that. They did everything together, and they meshed so well.

But this train of thought disappeared when suddenly all around her everything went silent. Bilbo was still talking, but he seemed to have confused most of the crowd. She rolled her eyes. Leave it to Bilbo to purposely confuse everyone at his own birthday party.

"I regret to announce that this is the end." Bilbo then said, and Marina's attention focused on him. The end? What was he talking about? "I wish to bid you all a very fond farewell." He looked around the crowd and stopped on his nephew's face. Marina glanced at Frodo only for a moment before looking back. She saw Bilbo's smiling face for barely a second before it was gone. She gasped, staring at the place where he'd disappeared. As chaos erupted all around them, she turned to look at Frodo.

"Frodo!" he didn't answer. "Frodo, wake up!" she waved a hand in front of his face. Once it came between his eyes and where his uncle had been, he jumped and looked at her.

"What?"

"Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Why would I?" he asked her, confused in all the commotion surrounding them.

"I don't know, maybe it's some elaborate prank he's pulling. It would be just like him to do so you know." She pointed out. Frodo had to smirk at that. She was right. But then his eyes went wide as a thought came to mind. He turned to Marina, a bit frantic.

"What if he left?"

"Left? The party you mean?" she asked him, confused.

"No! I mean _left_ left!" he tried to explain, but she just stared. He sighed. "He's been talking about leaving. Going to Rivendell, going back along the roads of his previous adventures. He wants to see it all again. He's been talking about leaving for so long, but I don't know if he'd really do it." He looked at the ground in thought while Marina groaned at his inaction.

"Well, if he'd leave, he'd have to stop at Baggend first wouldn't he? You might be able to catch him _before_ he leaves if you hurry!" She stood, pulled her friend to his feet and pushed him off in the direction of Baggend. As he rushed to push his way through the panicking crowd, Marina sat back down at the table, turning to face Pippin who was simply watching the others rush around every which way. He raised an eyebrow as if to ask what everyone was doing and she shrugged. They saw Sam and Rosie sitting at another table a ways away and waved. But they didn't bother moving as it would take too much work to even get to them.

They sat there for almost an hour as people searched the party area, realized he wasn't there, and calmed down. Everyone assumed it was a prank of the crazy old hobbit, and started packing up for home. Sam walked Rosie towards the Green Dragon and her rooms there, and not too long afterwards Marina and Pippin did the same. A few hobbits were still searching in tents and behind ale barrels for the missing Bilbo, and they laughed tiredly. It had been a wonderful party, but also a very long one and they were both ready for bed. They both walked to the Green Dragon where they'd be staying for the night. Once there, they tiptoed through the quiet hallways of the Inn. Most of the guests had probably already fallen asleep from too much food, ale, fun, or all three. They stopped at Rosie's door where Marina was staying. Pippin was in his own room farther down the hall.

"Well Pip, this is my stop." She said, looking at her friend. He smiled at her and nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked her. She grinned and nodded.

"I won't be up until noon most likely." She informed him and he chuckled, nodding. He expected nothing less. He looked at her a bit shyly.

"I never said…but you looked really pretty tonight Mari." he said softly and dashed off. He was in his room with the door closed for at least half a minute before Marina remembered to breath. She put a hand on her chest to feel her heart beating quickly enough to pull right out of her body. She pressed down on it, trying to get it at a normal rate and make her blush go away before she entered Rosie's room. When she finally went in though, the girls only chatted a bit. They were too tired to talk about much, and went to bed soon after. But for a good hour after Rosie's breathing had slowed and deepened Marina lay in her bed, looking at the moon shining out the window and thinking.

--

About two weeks later, Marina and Pippin found themselves back at the Green Dragon. As they stood on a table, each with a mug of ale and singing a loud song, Frodo danced around the table holding two mugs in each hand. The song had been joined in my most of the usual crowd. While the quiet half of the tavern sat hunched over their mugs, discussing the goings on of everything and everyone they knew. Marina wasn't much for gossip, and so she joined the rowdier crowd and had become one of the most welcome assets. She had a talent for making up funny lyrics on the spot, a talent she and Pippin shared. Together, they were the most popular hobbits to lead the songs whenever they came to visit.

The walk home that night proved to be very entertaining as well. Pippin was drunk out of his mind and Marina, who knew her limits, had to help him all the way home. The normal walk took double the time, so they didn't get home until long after the midnight hour. She didn't bother to knock on the door of Pippin's house, since he lived alone. Even when he stayed at home she didn't have to knock. She simply opened it to let herself and her friend in. It wasn't the first time she'd brought Pippin home drunk, and his family didn't care to be woken at such a late hour. They'd simply told her that she was family enough that she didn't need to knock to come into their home. But he'd gotten his own small place to live a while back, and she didn't need to worry about waking anyone else up anymore. She shut the door with her foot and helped Pippin to his room.

By now, he'd only sobered up enough to speak clearly, although the things he was saying didn't make much sense. She sat him on his bed, removed his shoes, stockings and vest, and tucked him into bed. He curled up with his pillow, still muttering random things. But at the moment he looked so adorable that Marina had to smile. She really did like taking care of him she realized, and on impulse she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. She shook her head when he instantly stopped muttering and left the room before any more sudden impulses made her do odd things.

Pippin froze when Marina's lips softly touched his forehead. He hadn't been as drunk as he'd been acting. But he loved how Marina smiled whenever he said something particularly silly. He also loved how much care she took to make sure he made it home and into bed alright. The fact that she cared made him happy. But the kiss had made his act blow away immediately. Her lips had been soft, and the kiss had been feathery, but it still floored him. She left in a hurry and he scrambled out of bed to his window. He watched as she made her way down the road to her own house. He smiled a bit as she went into the forest. She really did look pretty in the moonlight. He climbed back into bed and curled up with his pillow once again, a smile on his face as he fell asleep.

When Marina woke the next morning, she took the opportunity to just lay there and stare at the ceiling. This was the quietest part of her day, and she wanted to enjoy it. The quiet was broken when her mother bustled into the room.

"Oh good you're awake!" Poppy said jovially as Marina sighed. "You have your usual chores to do. Oh, and the front porch needs to be swept darling, and I have laundry to do!" then she was gone and Marina chuckled. She didn't think she'd ever seen her mother in a bad mood of any sort. No matter how much needed to be done, she managed to be cheerful about it. Marina took a bit of that cheerfulness to 

heart and got up and got dressed. A dress didn't sound good that day, so she went with her alternate approach. A pair of reddish brown corduroy pants that her mother had made for her, the legs hanging over the tops of her boots and flaring out a bit rather than tucking into the boot tops. She then pulled on a rose colored cotton shirt which was very loose and flowy and gathered at the wrists. Her deep red cinch belt went on over it, pulling it tight around her waist. She tied a red ribbon around her hair to hold it in a ponytail at the base of her neck and out of the way. She spent the morning doing her chores around the house. Once she finished those, she then made her way through her house and grabbed the broom, stepping out onto the front porch.

The afternoon promised to be bright and sunny and warm. Marina had to smile as she started her work. In truth, she liked simple tasks like sweeping the porch. It didn't require any thinking to perform, so her mind was free to wander as it saw fit. And it had just started to wander towards Pippin, the way it often did these days, she heard humming. She looked up from her pile of dirt to see Pippin strolling towards her house. She grinned even as the thought to herself 'Speak of the devil.' As he got close enough she called to him.

"Don't you have a hangover or something?" Pippin just smiled as if he knew something she didn't and tapped the side of his nose. She narrowed her eyes playfully and as he walked into the front garden area, she sent her pile of dirt right at him. As the dust covered his pants, he simply looked at her with his eyebrows raised and she apologized with a sickly sweet tone of voice. He knew she'd done it on purpose, and finally neither of them could keep up their acting any longer and they burst into laughter. Pippin sat down on the bench as Marina swept her newly made mess up again and into the garden where it belonged.

"I'm starving." Pippin complained, rubbing his stomach, and Marina giggled.

"Didn't you eat before coming?"

"Well, yes. But then I walked here, and now I'm hungry again!"

"I can go grab something you if you like, I haven't eaten lunch yet myself." Pippin smiled and tapped his chin. He knew what her family had in their cupboards almost as well as she did.

"Something fresh. Actually fresh vegetables sound perfect right about now." He said, nodding decisively. He looked at Marina funny when she laughed.

"That I'm afraid I can't offer. Papa took our fresh veggies to market today, and Mother used the leftover for a stew for dinner tonight. I'm afraid you're out of luck." Pippin's face fell.

"But that sounds so good!" Marina rolled her eyes, but realized that fresh veggies really _did_ sound good. A thought popped into her head and she smiled a bit wickedly.

"You know, Farmer Maggot hasn't sold his vegetables yet." She said simply, but Pippin got the point.

"Very true. I wonder if we should go help him with that." He asked as he stood. Marina grinned.

"Just let me grab my coat, and we can go offer our assistance." She dashed inside and snatched her favorite coat from the rack. It was a thick woven fabric of dark brown, the lapel recently ironed by her mother. Marina has embroidered little green vines with red flowers along the collar and hems, and was very proud of the work. She slipped it on and ran back out the door, Pippin catching up to her pace rather than her slowing down for him. They raced all the way to the fields of Farmer Maggot and ducked into the corn field quickly. There they sat, winded but grinning. Now they were both hungrier and had made it before Maggot arrived in those parts of the fields.

The best thing about Farmer Maggot was that his schedule was more reliable than any clock. He was always in the same parts of his fields at the same time every single day, and Pippin and Marina had that schedule memorized. They snuck along through the fields and towards the main shed where the old farmer kept his tools and things. They watched as he grabbed a wicked looking scythe and went to work in a field opposite them. They chose that moment to sneak out to the wagon nearby. In it were a bunch of vegetables that Maggot had picked for the market later that day. Easy pickings for Marina and Pippin. They reached up into the wagon one at a time and grabbed about an armful each of the veggies before a new sound met their ears. Dogs barking. Maggot had never had dogs before! The two looked at each other with side eyes as Maggot came running back. Marina dropped everything she was holding except the vegetables in her various pockets and pushed Pippin. She led him at a run into the corn fields hearing Maggot shout at them along the way.

"Where are we going?" he called to her, still carrying his arm load of the vegetables and refusing to drop them. She shook her head as she led his down a path between the rows before cutting through a few more and going back in the other direction. Pippin rushed to follow her, trying to keep up and not fall and squash his prize.

"I have no idea!" she called back to him. "Try and confuse the dogs!"Pippin must have heard because he stopped following her exact path. Instead he ran parallel to her at times, doubled back and joined her path every once in a while. She did the same, and was trying to keep from going in a single direction for too long. They ran in every which way, trying to at least confuse the dogs if not lose them entirely. Eventually she realized that she could no longer hear Maggot yelling or the dogs barking and jumped onto the path behind Pippin. He was slowing a bit as well. They jumped through one last corn row, and right onto two other people! Marina shook her head and sat up, holding her head. She was completely breathless and exhausted. And she still hadn't eaten anything, so she was hungry too.

"Frodo!" she heard Pippin say in surprise, and she turned to look. "Mari, it's Frodo!" Marina stood and brushed herself off.

"Hello Frodo!" she said cheerfully as if they'd met on a walk through Hobbiton. She giggled as Frodo rolled his eyes. Sam, who she had run into, scrambled to his feet and hurried to help Frodo as well. Marina saw all the veggies that Pippin had dropped in the crash and practically yelped for joy. She was starving! She munched on a carrot, holding the end in her mouth as she picked up the other vegetables.

"What's going on here?" Sam asked, brushing dirt off of Frodo's sleeve. She just shoved an armful of vegetables at him.

"Hold these." She bent down to grab more.

"You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!" he said accusingly. Marina just grinned at him as she piled more veggies into his arms. Just then, the sound of shouting and barking dogs reached their ears. They all looked to see the scythe Maggot was carrying over the corn plants behind them. Pippin was the first to react and ran in the opposite direction.

"Time to go!" Marina said and grabbed Frodo's hand, pulling him through the corn rows away from the angry farmer. Sam followed shortly after. Marina led Frodo through the fields following Pippin, none of them sure where they were anymore.

"I dn't know why he's so upset." She said to Frodo as they ran. "It was only a couple of carrots."

"And some cabbages." Pippin added. "And those tomatoes we lifted last week. And the mushrooms the week before!" Marina rolled her eyes as Frodo laughed.

"Yes Pippin." She said exasperatedly. "My point is, he's clearly over reactin'!" She dodged through another corn row and hurried to stop to keep from hitting Pippin, and Frodo crashed into her. He looked around her shoulder to see a drop off down a _very_ steep hill. Marina had just breathed a sigh of relief when Sam crashed into the back of the group and they all fell over the edge of the ledge. She shrieked, falling head over heels. She found herself very glad she hadn't worn a dress that day, and then realized that that was a very odd thought to have at that moment. Finally she stopped moving and groaned. Her legs were draped over Pippin's back, and pinned by Frodo and Sam. She lay back gratefully against the slop they'd landed on and felt an odd lump.

"Well that was close." Pippin said, and she looked to see his face only inches from a large animal dropping. She laughed even as she winced.

"I think I've broken something." She whimpered and reached to where her coat was twisted behind her. She found the odd lump and pulled it out from under her, seeing a carrot which had broken in half. She giggled as she saw the irony of the broken carrot along with what she'd said. But Sam got up and grumbled and her smile faded a bit.

"Trust you two to get us all in trouble." She heard. She sat up, disentangling herself from Frodo and Pippin and brushed dirt off of her sleeves.

"Trouble? That wasn't trouble my dear fellow." She said jovially. "That was simply…a short cut!"

"Short cut to what?" Sam asked disbelievingly.

"Mushrooms!" Pippin cut in.

"Yes mush- Wait, mushrooms?" she asked, turning to look. At the base of a nearby tree was a fair amount of mushrooms, her father's favorite kind too! She rushed to stand, pushing Pippin back into the ground and hurrying to reach the mushrooms before Sam got there. He was known for his cooking and was sure to want them for himself, but her father loved these mushrooms so much, and she wanted to bring them home to him. Soon all but Frodo were kneeling by the mushrooms, Marina and Sam trying to pick as many as possible.

"I think we should get off the road." She heard Frodo say, but she wasn't paying enough attention to register the meaning of the words. She and Sam agreed to divide the mushrooms evenly later on, so they only needed one bag for now. But Frodo suddenly called to them, sounding terrified.

"Get off the road, quick!" It was more his tone that made Marina move. She led the way to the lower side of the road they were on and down into a gully. There, they found a shallow cave under a tree root, which would hide them well from anyone on the road itself. She sat near the trunk and Sam next to her. Pippin and Frodo followed. Marina, Sam and Pippin all looked into the bag of mushrooms, counting to see how many they'd picked. A sudden chill made Marina look up, no longer thinking about the bag she was holding. Pippin and Sam let go, and she found herself clutching the bag to her chest. Something was wrong.

The air had gone cold, and the forest was now quieter than she'd ever heard. And the oddest feeling sat in her chest, a mix of dread and fear, and she didn't even know what she was afraid of! A clank of metal made her jump. She turned slowly to look through a crack between the root and the dirt. A horse with what looked like bloody hooves pawed the ground. And in front of it was a person. Her first guess was that it was a human. No hobbit wore armor at all let alone with spikes, nor had feet that big in the first place. The person walked directly toward them and she spun forward again in fright. He leaned on the root over their heads and gave a great sniff. A knight with a cold? No, there was something off about the being that made her feel that this thing was not a human, whatever it was.

He sniffed again and she noticed something odd about the ground. Worms were coming to the surface by the dozens, along with all other kinds of bugs. A large spider crawled down her shoulder and she stiffened. She _hated _spiders with a passion. She didn't see why anything needed so many legs, and she hated how they moved. Sam felt her tense up and looked at her to see Marina squeezing her eyes shut. On her shoulder was a large grey wolf spider, and he understood. In slow motion, he reached up and brushed the thing off her shoulder. She shuttered, but opened her eyes. She grinned at him weakly and mouthed a 'thank you' to him. He grinned in return but stopped when he saw Marina's eyes go wide. He turned to see that Frodo had taken the ring out of his pocket.

The ring Frodo held was beautiful. It was just a plain gold band, but in her eyes, it looked better than any jewel encrusted ring she'd ever seen. She wasn't much for the really flashy stuff. But for some reason, the gold ring seemed prettier than anything else she'd ever seen. She wracked her brain for why she found it nicer than the simple ribbons and hemp bracelets she usually used, and couldn't find a reason. Then, Sam was reaching over and Frodo closed his fist. Marina blinked as her head cleared, and at the same time the thing above them gave a great sniff. She realized she was still gripping the bag of 

mushrooms, and got an idea. She leaned a bit around the tree they were hiding under and flung the bag as far away as she could. As the thump sounded in the silent forest, the sniffing being flew after it, a horrifying scream hovering in the air in its wake. She stood and led the way down the hill, wanting to get away from the creepy thing. She stopped at the bottom before running into a tree. Behind her, Pippin slipped and slid the last few feet of the hill, but stayed in his seated position rather than stand.

"What was that?" she asked Frodo. Frodo just leaned against the tree Marina had almost crashed into, panting, but not answering. Instead, he started running again, and Marina, Pippin and Sam had no choice but to chase after him.

--

_Hello again, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter It was fun to write, i'll admit, and now we're finally almost back to where my story origionally started! Huzzah! Just a little more new stuff, but that added to my origional first chapter. I didn't realize my chapters used to be so short. Five pages! . I'll definatly be fixing that, lol. Please please PLEASE review! It means the world to me, and every time I get a review, I work on the story, so the more reviews I get, the sooner thngs happen! Cause and effect people :P_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_

_P.S. I am writing a novel and i'd like opinions and view on its website. Also, if you want a preview of stories not yet up here on , I have a website for those as well. Just go to my bio/profile page, links for both of those and more are on there for ya _


	5. Chapter 5

What if…

Chapter 5

The sun had completely set over the Shire, and the four hobbits were still running. Marina and Pippin were clueless as to what was going on. As they came to a stop at the bottom of another hill Sam spoke.

"See anythin'?"

"Nothing." Frodo answered tensely. Pippin finally got fed up with being left in the dark.

"What is going on?" He asked, and she stepped forward.

"That black rider was looking for something." She said softly and saw Frodo breath a bit faster. "Or someone." She stepped in front of him, looking worriedly into her friend's face. "Frodo…what on earth is going on?" He looked away, and she already knew that he wasn't going to give her a straight answer. Not yet at least. Pippin gasped.

"Hide!" he whisper shouted and the others rushed to comply. They all ducked into the underbrush before looking up to another hill where a rider sat on his horse, silhouetted by the moon behind him. Frodo tuned to her.

"Sam and I need to leave the Shire. To a town called Bree."

"Bree? That's a human town!" she pointed out, but he didn't say anything, and she nodded. "Right…" an idea popped into her head and she grinned a bit. "Buckleberry Ferry!" she said, sounding a bit excited. Pippin nodded.

"Perfect! Bree is on the other side of the river, and that's the quickest way over." He dashed off again, and the others hurried to follow. They ran through the woods, staying as far away from the roads as possible. Finally they reached the ferry to cross the river. Marina gulped. The area between them and the dock was open, with no places to hide. They'd have to run and hope they weren't seen.

"Come on." She whispered, waving for the others to follow and she dashed out into the clearing. But the moment they left the woods, a rider was upon them, and they panicked. Marina knew their only hope now was to get to the ferry, so she called to the others "Follow me!" She led them other three over a fence and across the road, but Frodo was still trapped by the rider! Marina saw, but didn't slow down. She needed an escape route if Frodo was to get away from that…thing. "Get the rope Sam!" she told the gardener and he hurried to comply. As he and Pippin untied the raft, and she dashed onto the craft to grab the stick on the back which would steer and power the raft. Frodo had managed to get away and was running towards them, down the dock. She leaned on the pole with all her weight to get them moving.

"No, Frodo!" Sam shouted.

"Jump Frodo!" Pippin shouted. Marina kept pushing on the stick, trying to get some distance.

"Come on Frodo…"she whispered as she gave another push. He jumped and landed on the raft knocking Sam over in the process. She breathed a sigh of relief and Pippin came back to help her keep the raft moving towards the opposite bank.

"How far to nearest crossing?" Frodo asked, still panicked a bit and breathless.

"Brandywine Bridge." She told him. "But that's twenty miles away. This should give us plenty of a head start on them." Frodo and Sam sat at the front of raft as Marina and Pippin stayed at the back, taking turns steering them across the gentle river.

"Remember when we played here as kids?" Pippin asked her suddenly, and she smiled.

"Yes, those were good times weren't they?" Pippin looked up at the night sky, the stars reflecting in his eyes.

"Yes. Mari, do you think we'll be home soon? My parents will worry if I don't visit every day like I usually do." Marina sighed. She thought of the small house she was to move into in a month or so, now that her parents finally thought her old enough for a place of her own. Somehow, she knew it might be a while before they got back and she doubted her mother would want to let her out of her sight.

"I don't know Pip." She finally answered. "I don't know."

--

Frodo, Sam, Marina and Pippin stood at the edge of the forest, looking around nervously. The last encounter with the Nazgul had left them all wary. Once they saw that the coast was clear, they hurried across the road and knocked on the large wooden gate of Bree. An old man behind the gate opened the top window and looked around, then closed it and opened the one lower to the ground and Frodo's eye level. Marina looked around behind them, searching the shadows for any sign of movement. But it had started raining, and seeing any distance was difficult.

"What do you want?" the gate keeper asked, and she turned back around.

"We're heading for the Prancing Pony." Frodo answered his voice calm despite the scared look on his face. The old man closed the window and opened a door in the gate. He peered at them through the dark and rain.

"Hobbits? Four 'obbits! And what's more, out of the shire for your talk. What business brings you to Bree?"

"We wish to stay at the inn, our business is our own." Frodo answered.

"Alright young sir, I meant no offence. It's my job to ask questions after night fall. There's talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful." Marina snorted. The 'strange folk' were very distinguishable, it wouldn't take long for him to know who they were if they found them here. The man stood aside and let the hobbits pass. They went through the gate and wandered up the road of a town which seemed much too big. Carts went by, the wheels as tall as the hobbits were themselves. Tall people filled the streets, rudely telling the four to "Watch where you're walking." Finally Frodo spotted a swinging sign with a rearing horse with the words "The Prancing Pony". They pushed open the door, and walked gratefully in to the warm inn.

Inside there was laughter and warmth, and the hobbits pushed their wet hoods back. Pippin looked at Marina with a smile on his face. She hesitantly grinned back, she wasn't sure if she'd even be able to fully relax around all these big folk, but it was good to be a warm place again. Frodo walked up to the counter, which was taller him, and said

"Excuse me?" A kind looking man looked over and down and happily said

"Oh, Good evenin' little masters, what can I do for you? If you're lookin' for accommodation, we've got some nice, cozy, hobbit sized rooms available. Always proud to cater to little folk, Mister…?

"Underhill. My name is Underhill." The barkeeper nodded but looked like he didn't quite believe him. Despite her own surprise, Marina hid her emotions. She wouldn't help Frodo any if she were to make it obvious he was lying. But she wondered why he thought it necessary to do so in the first place. Frodo continued. "We're friends of Gandalf the Gray; can you tell him we've arrived?" The barkeeper took a few minutes to remember who Gandalf was, then told the hobbits that he hadn't seen him for six months. Frodo's face fell, and he turned to the rest of them.

"What do we do now?" Sam asked. Marina thought out loud.

"Well, we certainly can't just go home. Not with those riders about. We should probably just wait here; hopefully Gandalf will come sooner rather than later." The others nodded in agreement. They went to a table and bought drinks. While Pippin instantly relaxed, Marina found it more difficult. It didn't help that Sam and Frodo both stayed as tense as bowstrings. After Pippin left to get a pint, which he was extremely happy about, Sam pointed to person in the corner and said to Frodo "That fellows done nothing but stare at you since we arrived." Marina turned around to see that, indeed, there was a person sitting in the corner staring at her friend. Frodo stopped the barkeep as he walked by and asked,

"Excuse me, who is that man in the corner?" The old man looked and turned back to Frodo.

"That's no man, it's a woman. Though I wouldn't say 'lady'. She's one of them rangers. Dangerous folk they are when in the wilds. What her right name is I've never 'erd, but round 'ere, she's known as Strider." As the barkeep walked away, Marina looked down at her mug of cider, the name circling around in her head. She turned and looked again, and at that moment someone walked by with a candle, briefly lighting the dark eyes of the woman under the hood. She turned quickly away and looked up at Sam, his face as worried as her own. Suddenly she heard the name 'Baggins' spoken above the general noise. She looked up sharply to see Pippen running his mouth off again, not thinking about what he was doing.

"Sure I know a Baggins. He's over there. Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side." Frodo jumped up and started running toward Pippin, Marina was too shocked to move. As he dodged between the tall folk, Marina noticed the woman in the corner looked up. As Frodo grabbed Pippin's arm he slipped and fell on the ground. The ring he'd been holding flew up into the air. At this the woman sat up, suddenly very interested. The ring slipped onto Frodo's finger and he disappeared completely. Everyone in the bar looked at the place where the hobbit had just been laying. Marina squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them wide, hoping to get a glimpse of her friend. But no matter where she looked, he was nowhere to be seen. It was like Bilbo all over again! Was there some trait in the Baggins family to turn invisible?

But then she noticed him, huddling against a table leg and breathing as heavily as if he'd just run the full length of the Shire. But before she could point him out to the panicking Sam, she saw the Strider woman grab Frodo by the collar and haul him upstairs. Marina stood and dragged Sam to his feet, and pulled him over to the bar so she could grab Pippen as well.

"The ranger lady grabbed him, she took him upstairs! Hurry _up_ you two!" Pippen grabbed a candelabrum and they followed the sounds of faint voices. It was Frodo and another woman speaking. Strider, Marina assumed.

--

Strider pushed Frodo into her room. He fell down near the fireplace, and then stood up quickly. He looked at her and asked "What do you want?"

"You need to be a little more careful. You should never use that little trinket you're carrying." She said fiercely. Strider kept her hood up and Frodo couldn't get a good look at her face.

"I carry nothing." He said defensively.

"Oh, really?" the woman said disbelievingly. She walked to the window and blew out the candles. "People can't just disappear, and I should know. I can hide myself, but turning invisible isn't a talent often seen unless the user is a wizard." She turned around and pushed her hood back. Frodo was surprised at how pretty she was. She wasn't absolutely gorgeous; she had more of a simple beauty. She had brown hair pulled back into a loose braid. Here eyes were very pretty, a deep green, the color of forest leaves in late spring. She had a mouth that looked like it would be quicker to smile than frown, but a frown was what she wore now.

"Who are you?" Frodo asked.

"Why do you need to know? Are you frightened?" she asked instead of answering the question.

"Yes." He said after a small hesitation.

"Not enough. The things that hunt you now know where you are. They can always sense the ring, but when one wears it, they know its exact location." She peered out the window again. Suddenly the pounding of feet was heard coming up the stairs, and Strider whipped around and drew a dagger. The door burst open and three hobbits ran in.

"Let him go! Or I'll have you long shanks." Sam said. The sight was almost comical. Strider gave a small smile and said

"You're a brave one aren't you? That won't save you anymore." She put away her small blade. She turned to Frodo again. "You cannot wait for Gandalf, Frodo. They're coming."

--

They spent the next half hour setting up four beds on the floor of an abandoned house across the street from the inn. Marina and the others lay down to sleep to the best of their ability, while Strider sat at the window. The hobbits were all soon asleep, tired from their journey here. Strider looked them over thoughtfully.

Frodo was the serious one of the group; he was probably the only one who knew the full extent of what was going on. Sam obviously cared a lot about his master, and had a kind heart, she could tell. Pippin was the careless one, not understanding anything at all it seemed. He seemed content to let others do the thinking and simply be told what to do. Marina, the only female, already held a special place in Strider's heart. She was brave and kind. She was smart too. Strider could tell she didn't know entirely what was going, and that she hated not knowing. But she was figuring things out bit by bit.

Strider looked once more out the window. She saw the Riders come up the muddy street, and enter the Inn. She soon saw their blurry forms through the window of the room the hobbits had originally rented. Shortly after, they started screaming as they realized that they'd been tricked. Strider had carefully stuffed the beds full of pillows so that they wouldn't know until it was too late that the hobbits weren't there any longer. As the screams of the Nazgul filled the air, the four hobbits sat up in their beds on the floor of Strider's room.

"What are they?" Frodo asked. Strider glanced over.

"They were once great kings of men. Then Sauron gave them nine rings of power. The offer of such power blew all question of trust from their minds. Then, one by one, they fell into darkness, exactly as Sauron had hoped. Now, they are completely evil. They have no choice but to follow the orders of the Dark Lord." She looked out the window and watched as the Nazgul rode away into the night. "They are the Nazgul. Though most simply call them Ringwraithes. They aren't alive, but not entirely dead either. They are drawn to the power of the One Ring. They will never stop hunting you, so we shall simply have to outrun them."

--

The next morning found the four hobbits following Strider though the wilderness. Without her leadership, they would have been hopelessly lost. "Where are you taking us?" Frodo asked.

"Into the wild. The wraiths will have a harder time following us out here." Strider answered simply. Marina grunted, not happy with the answer. She was grateful to the ranger for saving them last night, but she still wasn't sure if the human could be trusted or not. A little while later, she asked Frodo "How we know Strider is a friend of Gandalf's?"

Frodo looked at her then at Strider. "I think a servant of the enemy would look fairer, and feel fouler." Strider grinned at this. Her hearing was better than they thought.

"She's foul enough." Marina said.

"We have no choice but to trust her." Frodo said.

"But where is she leadin' us?" Sam asked. He was leading Bill, the horse they had gotten in Bree. He and the pony had bonded well, and Sam enjoyed having someone to care for. Unlike Frodo, the horse let him care for him as much as he liked and didn't mind the gardener's fussing.

"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee." Strider said unexpectedly. Marina and Frodo looked at each other nervously. It was embarrassing to think that they'd been overheard. "To the house of Elrond" She continued. Although the hobbits couldn't see it, Strider was still grinning.

"Did you hear that? Rivendell. We're goin' to see the elves." Sam said excitedly. Marina rolled her eyes, still unconvinced.

The journey continued on, and they took a short rest in midmorning. Strider kept watch. She turned around and was surprised to see the hobbits getting out the cooking supplies.

"What's going on? We agreed that we wouldn't stop until nightfall."

"What about breakfast?" Pippin asked

"We've already had it."

"Well we've had one yes," Pippin said smartly. "What about _second_ breakfast?" Strider raised an eye brow and moved on. Pippin frowned.

"Don't think she knows about second breakfast, Pip." Marina said as she put her backpack back on.

"What about elevenses?" Pippin asked in a panic. "Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? She knows about them, doesn't she?" Marina knew that Strider probably knew about dinner and supper, the big folk ate three times a day normally. But she decided to mess with Pippen's head instead.

"I wouldn't count on it." She told him. Out of sight, Strider found a tree covered in apples and tossed one back to the hobbits. Watching though the trees she saw Marina catch it and hand it to Pippin, patting him on the shoulder. She threw another, which narrowly missed Pippin's head. He looked into the sky, wondering if it often dropped apples on hungry hobbits. "Pippin!" Marina called, shaking her head at her friend.

Strider chuckled just thinking about it for the next half hour.

--

The group continued traveling for days. Strider was always in the lead, the hobbits always following and wondering how she knew where she was going. One afternoon they spent traveling though a bog. The hobbits, being shorter, had a much harder time of it. Mosquitoes flew around them in clouds.

Marina smacked one when it landed on her cheek. "What do they eat when they can't get hobbit?" she asked. Pippin fell down face first into the murky water, but happily found that the mosquitoes mostly left him alone after that. The other hobbits splashed the water on themselves to keep the bugs away. It didn't help much, but they would take anything they could get. They spent that night by the bog. Dinner was large mostly because of Pippin, who insisted on eating enough to make up for all they had missed that day. Strider had grinned and said she would be right back. Fifteen minutes later, she returned with an elk over her shoulder. Sam cooked it wonderfully, and they were all pleasantly full when they went to sleep. Strider stayed up to keep watch.

She started singing after about an hour or so. It was a soft song so she wouldn't wake the tired hobbits. Frodo had not yet fallen asleep yet, and he lay there listening to the song. He knew some elvish, but not enough to understand the song very well. Finally he sat up and asked

"Who is she?" Strider spun around "This woman you sing of."

"She's the lady of Luthien. An elf maiden of old. She fell in love with a mortal named Beren." Frodo noticed that she sounded sad.

"What happened to her?" he asked

"She died." Strider said simply. She turned to look at him again. "Get some sleep, Frodo. We have a long way to go tomorrow." Strider stayed silent the rest of the night.

_--_

_Woohoo! We've finally made it to where my story origionally started! And Its better this time, lol. I'll be the first to admit that its still very close to the movie, and I warn everyone now that I don't try and vary it too much. Don't expect some huge plot twist to make everything go in a whole new direction. The only plot twist isn't all that big really :P But that will come later. I'll probably be updating faster now, since I have this entire movie/story done. Also Two Towers, and I'm working on Return of the King Rather than change the plot, I simply add scenes as I see fit in order to develop my own characters. But please review, it'll remind me to update sooner!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	6. Chapter 6

What if…

What if…

Chapter 2

Strider and the hobbits walked though plains now. The sky was slightly cloudy, and it was getting dark. Strider narrowed her eyes in momentary annoyance. If she'd been traveling alone, she would have kept traveling right through the night. Now rather, she had to go at what felt like a snail's pace and look after four hobbits who did not yet understand their danger. But she sighed. It wasn't their fault they weren't prepared for the world outside the Shire. This adventure had come with no warning to them. Especially Marina and Pippin who'd ended up being dragged along for the ride. She stopped at the top of the next hill, and looked into the distance towards a ruined tower. She told the hobbits quietly

"This was the great watch tower of Amon Sul." She turned around and said "We need to camp for the night, you lot deserve a rest. We'll just walk a bit farther and camp in the tower. It'll be safer than out in the open." They hiked the remainder of the distance, and then climbed up and into a cave on the side of the tower. The hobbits gratefully took off their bags and sat down. Marina lay down flat on the floor of the cave, not caring about getting dirty. She was too grateful for the feel of solid ground under her and her legs not moving for once. As the sky grew dark, Strider opened a bundle. Inside Marina was surprised to see four short swords. "As much as I hate to say this, you'll be needing these. You can keep them, they're more your size than mine." She said with a smile. "Now you stay here and rest, I'm going to go make sure the Nazgul can't easily track us." She stood and walked away, leaving the hobbits to a well deserved sleep.

Strider started exploring, searching for any sign that the Nazgul had followed them. She was getting worried though; she couldn't find any sign of them. Were there creatures so good as to hide their tracks from a ranger? As a precaution, she left a few false trails going in other directions, hoping it would at least confuse the Black Riders. She was running though the trees what she heard something about tomatoes being yelled from Weathertop. 'Pippin' she thought. Then she heard a feral scream. They were here. She ran as fast as she could to the tower, hoping she wasn't too late to save the brave hobbits. The swords wouldn't do them much good, she feared. She came into view of the tower and saw the Nazgul at the top, inching forward n their smooth frightening way. She heard Sam yell bravely

"Back you devils!" She ran faster. She was just reaching the top when she heard Frodo yell in pain. She charged toward the Nazgul and swung her sword; she waved the torch she had at them as well, as the black robed beings hated fire. As she fought, she heard Sam call Frodo's name, and saw him run to his master out of the corner of her eye. The Nazgul soon got over their surprise and began to fight back. Strider fought with all she had, blocking and parrying, swinging the torch at their faces, causing them to dodge back. She set one of fire, and turned and blocked the downward swing of another. She swung her sword at him, unrelenting until he ran from the battle altogether.

Finally there was only one left, the one who seemed to be the leader. Strider knew him to be the Witchking. Strider sensed where he was and quickly spun around and threw the torch right into his face. The flaming stick got stuck in whatever mass was underneath the hood and stayed put. Blinded by it and the pain accompanying it, he ran off the edge of the tower, following his friends. She chased him to the edge to make sure he left.

"Strider!" Sam yelled. She turned and went to where the other three hobbits were kneeling over Frodo. "Help him, Strider." Sam begged.

"What happened?" She asked, picking up one of the Nazgul swords. The blade turned to dust and she threw the hilt away. Her eyes widened. "He was stabbed wasn't he? I don't have the skill to heal this. The blades are a kind of poison" she tried to explain as she picked up Frodo. "He needs the care and magic of the elves, which is something I do not have." Frodo yelled in pain. She put Frodo over her shoulder and grabbed another torch. The other three hobbits followed her quickly as she went back down the side of the tower and the hill it sat on. They only stopped long enough for the three hobbits to grab their things and to get Bill the pony who they'd left at the base. Half an hour later, they were once again in the forest.

"Hurry!" Strider called to the hobbits as they started to slow down. The poor things were still tired.

"We're six days from Rivendell! He'll never make it" Sam called. Strider offered no answer.

"Hold on, Frodo" she whispered to him. He called for Gandalf. "Please hold on."

--

Strider regretfully stopped for a rest. They had found three stone trolls, the same ones Bilbo had always spoken of. Frodo's eyes had already turned an ice blue, and he was sweating. Sam talked to him, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. But as Frodo called out in now horse voice, he turned.

"He's going cold." He told Strider.

"Is he going to die?" Pippin asked.

"He's passing into the shadow world. He'll soon become a wraith like them." A far off scream reached their ears and Marina looked around nervously.

"They're getting closer." Marina said. "Wecan't beat them on foot, and we only have one pony." She said, thinking out loud.

"Sam," Strider called. He walked over to her, his worry for Frodo clear on his round face. "Do you know the Athelas plant?"

"Athelas?" Sam asked.

"Um...it's also called Kingsfoil."

"Kingsfoil, aye, it's a weed."

"It may help to slow the poisoning. Hurry!" she said as she handed her torch to him. Grabbing another, they started searching for the plant. Strider found a small clump and stuck her torch into the ground for light. She pulled out her dagger, and was cutting off some of the precious plant when she felt the point of a sword at her neck. She froze.

"What's this? A Ranger caught off her guard?" Strider looked up at Arwen, her elf sister, in annoyance. She stood up and gave her a quick hug.

"Arwen, in the clearing back there, there is a hobbit. He's been stabbed by one of the Nazgul." Arwen's smile faded. "Go to him, please? I just have to get this real quick." Arwen nodded and mounted her horse and rode over toward the stone trolls. Strider finished getting the Athalas, and ran back to the clearing. She found Arwen kneeling by Frodo, and Marina, Pippin and Sam off to the side.

"Who is she?" Marina whispered. Strider ignored the question as she kneeled by Frodo. She mashed the Athalas, and spit on it to wet it down. When she placed it on the cut, Frodo cried out again. The wound wasn't bleeding, but the veins around it had started to darken as the poison spread.

"He's fading." Arwen said worriedly. "He's not going to last. We must get him to Father." Strider nodded and lifted Frodo onto Arwen's horse. "I've been looking for you for two days." She said.

"Where are you taking him" Marina asked. Again, Strider ignored her.

"There are five wraiths behind you; I don't know where the other four are." Arwen continued.

In elvish Strider told her "_Stay with the hobbits, I'll send horses for you_."

"_I'm the faster rider, I'll take him_." she replied in the same language.

"_The road is too dangerous, they'll chase you_." Strider insisted.

"What are they saying?" Pippin asked in the common tongue, looking at Marina in confusion. She could only shrug helplessly, wishing she had studied the language a bit more. Frodo had been the one studying it, but he wasn't much help at the moment.

"_If I can get across the river I can use the power of my people to protect him_." Arwen explained. Strider looked like she was about to protest again. "I do not fear them." Arwen said in Common.

Strider gave a small smile, and hugged Arwen. "Be careful." She said as Arwen mounted. "Arwen, you'll be followed, and it will be dangerous. Don't let them see your fear as it will empower them."

Arwen nodded and spoke to horse in elvish, urging him to run as fast as he could. As she rode off, Strider watched, hoping her elf sister would be alright.

"What are you doing?! Those wraiths are still out there!" Sam yelled.

Again Strider ignored the question.

--

After Arwen rode off, Strider turned around to the hobbits. They peppered her with questions, "Who is she?" "Where are they going?"

"That was Arwen, daughter of Elrond. She's my elf-sister. I kind of adopted her family as my own when mine was all gone. They're going to Rivendell, which is where we should be going as well." The hobbits got the point and picked up their bags again. Sam grabbed Bill's reins, and they started off. Morning came just as they were leaving the forest, and they continued walking for about 2 hours before stopping for breakfast. It was a solemn occasion, very unusual for the food loving hobbits. Strider thought the seriousness of their journey had finally hit them, and hit hard.

"Don't worry about Frodo, he'll be fine. Arwen is one of the fastest riders I know, she'll get him to her father in time." They relaxed a little, but stayed silent. After packing up, they continued, making good time over the plains. After five days of hard travel, they came to the river Arwen had spoken about. They stopped for a rest by the water, when suddenly on the other side of the river, five of the Nazgul stood. Strider knew that they had chased Arwen, but what were they doing so far down the river? The crossing was miles up-stream. The sound of a horse snorting made Strider turn around to see the other four Black Riders. The three hobbits were starting to panic a bit now. Strider was terrified, but kept a cool composure. The riders came closer and Strider and the hobbits backed up to the river. Then Strider had an idea.

"Get into the river!" she whispered to the others. "Get in the water and head up stream." Arwen would have used the Elvin magic to get away from the wraiths, and if she did the spell Strider suspected, it would explain why the riders were so far down stream. They probably weren't in any hurry to get back in the water. Strider grabbed Bill's reins from Sam, and the group got into the water. They had gone pretty far upstream, but the Nazgul simply followed them on land. The cold water was also taking its toll on the hobbits. Water seeped into Strider's boots and her legs soon turned numb. Marina accidently slipped on a rock under the water and went under. Strider lifted her out, and Pippin hurried forward to help his friend. He wrapped an arm around her trying to keep her warm. But the cold had seeped into her very bones it seemed, and soon, Pippin was practically holding her upright as the waded upstream.

They had gone all the way up to the river crossing and were still being followed, when, miracle of miracles, a group of Elvin riders came out of the woods. They started battling the five Nazgul on their side of the river, and Strider hurried the hobbits up onto the shore line. They climbed trees and hid behind bushes, while she jumped into battle, or rather onto one of the Nazgul. She stabbed her sword down and went right through his arm. Pinned to the ground he screamed, loud enough to make her stagger backwards. He pulled the blade from his arm and started swinging it back at her. Strider dodged to the best of her ability, using a dagger where she could to block and parry, but she kept getting scratches from her narrow escapes. The Ringwraiths had had centuries to perfect their swordplay, and needless to say they were very good. Arwen suddenly stood behind him and slashed at his back. He dodged forward but Strider was able to get her sword back. The wraith drew his own sword and the fight continued.

From the trees, Marina watched the battle, wishing she could be of more use somehow. She wondered if maybe Strider could teach her how to use the short sword she'd been given. She suddenly sneezed, and Pippin looked at her, worried. She couldn't stop shivering, but she put on a brave smile for him. He was unconvinced however, and unpacked one of the blankets, draping it around her tightly.

"The last thing we need is for you to get sick." He said, and she chuckled.

"I _would_ be clumsy on the one day I shouldn't be it seems."

Eventually Strider was able to make her Nazgul flee from the battle, and he was soon followed by his brethren. Everyone gave up a cheer, and the hobbits came out of hiding.

The rest of the trip to Rivendell was easy, as the group was able to ride horses. At least Strider rode a horse; the hobbits rode behind other elves. When they turned around the mountain and saw the city, Marina gasped at the beauty, and Strider sighed with happiness. It was good to be back here. They were led down into the valley and through the city. The Halflings were given a room with four beds; the forth would go to Frodo when he got better. Strider was to have her old place near the top of the city. The group was told that Frodo was fine, and that he was sleeping now. Sam went straight to him, not even pausing to change clothes. Strider shook her head and followed him.

After they left Marina, still wrapped in her blanket, lay down on one of the beds, groaning with happiness.

"Cushion! Oh comfort, how I have missed thee." She said happily, and Pippin laughed. He sat on his own bed only to spring back up again with the unexpected bounciness. He grinned like a child and did it again, soon bouncing on the bed as if he was small again. Marina started giggling helplessly and had a hard time stopping. Only when a female elf came to the room did they quiet down. It was Arwen, Strider's friend.

"I see you two are having a good time." Arwen said chuckling. Marina giggled again and Pippin blushed. "I'm stopping by to make sure everything is to your comfort."

"I've never even _seen_ anything this grand." Marina said honestly. The elf city was gorgeous, and she couldn't wait to explore. Maybe she could find some supplies to sketch the things she saw so she would never forget the wonder of this place when she got home. Pippin was nodding enthusiastically, agreeing with her statement.

"Excellent." Arwen said, clapping her hands together, happy that her guests were happy. She reminded Marina a bit of Rosie Cotton; she seemed to like pleasing others. "Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. As for your clothing, do you have clean outfits? Or do you need extra clothing while you things are cleaned?"

"We only have what we're we were wearing when we ran into Frodo and Sam." Pippin said.

"Yes, we weren't prepared for a long journey, just a visit to a neighbor to, um, borrow some carrots." Marina told the she-elf. Arwen laughed.

"In that case, we must find you extra clothing so you don't have to wear the same things every day. If you want to do that now, we can at least get you fitted so you can bathe." They jumped up right away, eager to be clean. Arwen led them along the twisting paths until Marina wasn't sure she'd be able to find her way back. Thankfully though, between Pippin and herself, they had a good sense of direction and would figure out their way around soon enough. They finally reached their destination, and Arwen led them in, where they were attacked by people who deemed their outfits unfit for rags, let alone to be worn by guests of Rivendell. They were each measured and plans were made for the elvish style clothing they were used to making. Marina and Pippin looked at each other in the confusion and their eyes met. They knew they each felt the same, so Marina spoke up.

"Excuse me, but would you mind keeping the clothes simple? We're not used to such finery, and would honestly be more comfortable in plainer things. Maybe even the same styles as our old clothes, seeing as we'd like to be able to wear them when we get home to the Shire." The elves thankfully agreed to change their plans, and brought Marina and Pippin over to help, asking them exactly what they wanted. Once their clothing was all planned out, they were led back to their room where two tubs filled with hot water were being placed behind screens. Marina and Pippin both beamed and went to wash.

Meanwhile, Strider followed Sam to Frodo's room. When they got there they were let in by a guard who closed the door behind them. Frodo was indeed sleeping, and tended by

"Gandalf!" Sam yelled. He ran and hugged the wizard. Strider covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her laughter, and failing miserably. Gandalf glared at her over Sam's shoulder, making her laugh harder. She crossed her arms and forced herself to calm down.

"Will Frodo be alright? Is he warm enough? Maybe we should get him some more pillows. He can have mine, I can go without." Sam said in one long breath. Strider chuckled and grabbed Sam's shoulders, pulling him back out of the room.

"Frodo needs his sleep to heal, and he'll wake up with all of your questions." She said in a teasing voice. "He's going to be fine, he just needs rest. He's plenty warm at this time of year, and too many pillows will make him never want to wake up! Now then, why don't you head back to your room and get cleaned up. Frodo would be quite frightened if he woke up to such dirty people as us. Now, although a special dinner will be served in your honor, I can ask if your portion can be taken up to Frodo's room so you can eat and keep an eye on him and eat at the same time. Will that work for you?" Sam looked up at her gratefully.

"You don't think he'll mind?" he asked. Strider laughed.

"I don't think he wants you to kill yourself, Sam. You deserve a rest too." Sam nodded happily and scampered off. Strider decided to follow her own advice and wash up. She left the main building and took an uphill path toward her home.

As a girl, Strider had lived with Arwen and her father. But when she had grown up, Elrond realized that she needed a place of her own, and had given her "house" of her own. The entire house was built and carved into the side of a cliff. Of course, it wasn't really a house, as its rooms opened up to the rest of Rivendell and there was almost no privacy in the front rooms. And like most of the homes in Rivendell, it was connected in some way to other buildings, making it more like a city of connected apartments, or even one giant house. But the spaces were hers, and she loved it. She entered the living area and looked about. It was like a large porch with a roof over everything but the front steps. A carved wooden banister ran around the edge to give it a bit more of a roomy feel. The area was round, and had 3 sets of stairs leading away from different places in the room. The first set of stairs was on the far left. There were only 4 steps, and they led to another room similar to the first, but it was a kitchen instead. The left side of the room was open to the elements, but the right side of the room was carved into the mountain making a stone wall. As she looked around the main rooms, Strider realized that she had a lot of cleaning to do. She hadn't been here for a while, and there were leaves all over the floor, and cobwebs everywhere else.

The other staircases started as one, but split to curve around in opposite directions. If you went on the left fork, you would go up one floor to Strider's personal library. The room was round, and bookshelves lined all the walls, surrounding the arch like windows, which were covered by crimson curtains. Those matched the crimson reading chairs next to the fireplace, and the woven rug on the dark wood floor. Opposite the fireplace was a small desk with a dark wood, straight-backed chair. Candles were everywhere, just waiting to fill the room with a warm glow.

Going up the right fork on the staircase, would take you onto a spiral staircase winding around the study, and you'd end up in Strider's tower like bedroom. It was a fully enclosed room, round, with 6 windows, evenly spaced around the room. One of the windows extended to the floor, creating a doorway, hung with a beaded curtain she had made herself. A canopy bed could be seen to the right; a long, low dresser was straight ahead. It had been made especially for the room, so it fit against the rounded wall. A vase of dead flowers was on top, something that Strider would have to fix. To the left was a vanity table with a stool. The curtains and bedding were made from sage green and silver cloth, matching the green cushion on the vanity stool. A braided rug lay on the floor, made from scraps of green cloth in all different shades. Each window had a drapery of sheer, pale green, hung on silver knobs. There were shelves placed on some of the walls, made of pale wood and held up with silver brackets. They carried trinkets she had found on her travels, dried flowers, colorful feathers and stones, and on one an assortment of daggers and throwing knives.

Strider got to work. First she put on an old pair of leggings, and a long, loose white shirt with an open neckline, and wide sleeves gathered at the wrists. Then she grabbed a broom from the corner of the kitchen and proceeded to sweep out all the dead leaves from the main floor, and the cobwebs from the furniture and ceiling corners. The study didn't have the problem of leaves, nor inside of her bedroom, but her balcony was almost knee deep in some places. She used her broom as a kind of shovel, and lifted a large amount of leaves over the railing.

"AHHH!" she suddenly heard from below. Strider rushed over to the railing, apologizing profusely, until she saw Arwen glaring angrily at her from behind her hair which until the moment before had been leaf-free.

"Oh, it's just you." Strider said, nonchalantly, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Arwen glared even more. If looks could kill, Strider would have been dead a buried already, but she just gave Arwen an innocent smile, and dumped another broom-full of leaves of her elf-sister's head. Arwen shook them off the best she could, while Strider laughed from her balcony.

"And I was on my way to invite you to dinner too." Arwen said angrily. Strider immediately stopped laughing. She was starved, and dinner with Arwen and Elrond always meant great food. She turned and rushed downstairs, and helped the raven-haired girl get all the leaves off of her dress and hair, trying not to laugh the whole time. Arwen tried to keep her death glare up, but finally failed miserably, and the two of them ended up laughing anyway. For two grown women, they acted like teenagers when they were together.

"I knew you would see the funny side of the situation eventually." Strider said when they had calmed down. "Can I still come to dinner?" At that moment her stomach gave a very loud growl, and Arwen laughed.

"Of course, but you'll have to get cleaned up first, and change. Why don't you wear one of your dresses?" She saw the look on Strider's face, and gave up. "Alright, alright, don't. I don't know why I even bother."

"I don't know why you do either. I'll meet you at your house then?"

"No, we're eating in the second banquet hall, in honor of your small friends. Dinner starts at sunset so don't be late."

"Me? Late? Never." Arwen raised an eyebrow.

"Shall I give examples of your tardiness?"

"No, that's alright, you wouldn't be finished in time for dinner. I'll see you there!" Strider turned and went into her house to get cleaned up dressed for the wonderful dinner that was sure to be ahead.

_--_

_Well there you have it, chapter 6 I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter, as it no longer follows the movie exactly, yay! I worked on beefing up the banter so I wasn't just copying the movie dialogue any longer, yay number two! You may notice that as the story goes on, my variations from the storyline will change. For example, as the Fellowship travels, its hard to write certain scenes too differently, as the things my girls see are the same as what the others see. However, on those scenes especially, I shall work to personalize it some by adding their thoughts and points of view on the things they see. Maybe it shall spice it up a little. I am also thinking in an english accent again . Well, I have yet to come up with an actual schedule for updating...it may or may not happen eventually, lol. Thankfully I have...I think 12 days before its back to school. So i'll work to get as many of these chapters edited before it starts, as that will take up much of my free time...stupid college...But that's it for my 4 in the morning surprise, I hope you enjoyed! Please review, it means inspiration for me and cookies for you!_

_Your Humble (and apparently British) Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	7. Chapter 7

What if…

What if…

Chapter 7

Strider went back up to her room and glanced out the window. She had about an hour before sunset, so she had plenty of time. She quickly finished sweeping the leaves off of her porch, uncovering a large chair she had forgotten about. Then she went inside and washed up, before getting dressed. She dug in her dresser for a pair of soft brown suede pants, and a clean white shirt with loose sleeves gathered at the wrists. Over it she put on a forest green tunic-vest, which shaped her very well. She put on a brown leather belt, with a dagger hanging off of it. It would be considered impolite to wear her sword to a fancy dinner. Strider glanced at the sky; the sun would be completely set in about fifteen minutes, so she started on her way. It didn't take long to get there, as she lived only a few minutes away from Arwen's home, and the second banquet hall was practically right underneath the rooms she and her father occupied.

Strider walked in the open double doors, and glanced around the large room. While it wasn't as big as the main banquet hall, it was still huge. She saw Marina and Pippin sitting down near the head of the table, looking hungrily at the many plates of food right in front of their noses. She chuckled to herself, and walked up behind them. She put a hand on each of their shoulders and said

"You can start eating if you'd like. This more a social gathering than an actual dinner, so you can simply grab some food whenever you want." The hobbits looked at each other happily and thanked her as they started piling their plates with food. Strider shook her head, and grabbed two plates, and headed down the table to fill them with food. She brought them up to Frodo's room, and gave them to Sam like she'd promised. He thanked her over and over until he started eating, and she headed back down with a smile on her face. As she walked back into the banquet hall, Arwen practically tackled her.

"You will never guess what I am going to tell you!" she said excitedly.

"Probably not, what is it?" Strider asked as she filled a plate with all of her favorite foods from the table.

"Father has called together the races. He sent out messengers almost as soon as I got here with Frodo, and they're bringing back representatives from all over. Do you think there will be any handsome men coming?" Arwen asked breezily and Strider rolled her eyes.

"Arwen now is _not_ the time to think about trifles like that." Strider scolded. "The fate of Middle Earth hangs in the balance, and all you can think about is whether or not those coming are handsome or not."

"My dear sister, love is not a trifle, and someday you'll know why."

"I doubt it, what kind of man would fall in love a woman who dresses like one of them, and could quite possibly beat them at swordplay?"

"Well, I don't know, but I'm sure he's out there somewhere."

"Your mind is much too filled with stories, Arwen. Some women never find their true love, and I'll probably be one of those women. Not that I mind. I've gotten along just fine without men so far, and I will continue to do so."

"True, we could dump you in a forest somewhere and you'd survive just fine." Arwen said gently. "No one would even be able to tell that you were living there. But just because you'd stay alive doesn't mean you'd be truly _living_."

"Arwen, I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine. Are you going eat that honey cake?" Arwen sighed and handed Strider the small cake she'd waving through the air, then got herself some food of her own. The two of them selected chairs on one side of the room and started a different conversation. They were soon joined by others, including the two hobbits, who proved to be very knowledgeable in certain areas. Namely the Shire, but it didn't stop them from feeling very smart. Pippin was quite the expert in pipe tobacco, and Marina proudly stated that the finest of drinks could be found at the Green Dragon. The two of them agreed that the best cider ale could be gotten there and were describing it very vividly to their audience when the dinner was declared over. Strider walked the two of them back to their room. Pippin had had a bit too much elvish wine, and Marina was practically asleep on her feet, so she wanted to make sure they got to the right place. She was closing the door behind their tottering forms, when she saw that Sam wasn't in his bed. She went up to the chamber where Frodo was still resting, and found his loyal friend in a cot that had been put up for him. He obviously hadn't wanted to leave his master. She went over and laid a blanket over his sleeping form, then left the room, closing the door behind her quietly.

"Hello."

Strider could swear she had jumped a foot in the air. She turned to look at Elrond, her adopted uncle. She had very good hearing, but no one could move more quietly than Elrond. "Hello Uncle." She replied.

"Sam refused to leave Frodo. He said he might wake in the night, and he would need to be there just in case."

"That sounds like Sam." Strider smiled softly, and Elrond placed a hand on her back and led her to his library.

"Where did you join the hobbits on their journey?" He asked casually. Too casually.

"In Bree, at the inn. They were waiting there for Gandalf. I led them after that, to keep them out of harm's way."

"And yet into harm's way they still came. How could you have allowed this to happen? Frodo should have been with you at all times, where were you that you were unable to protect him?"

Strider blinked. Once, twice, then she narrowed her eyes at Elrond. "I was looking for the wraiths. They were following us, and I wanted to find them before they found us. I'm not sure, but I think the hobbits had lit a fire. That's what got the wraiths' attention. I had no control over the situation. I got back right when Frodo was stabbed." She watched as Elrond shook his head and start to pace.

"I'm sorry my dear, but this troubles me greatly. I had hoped never to see the one ring ever again, but it seems I cannot avoid it." Strider relaxed. Elrond suddenly looked very old. The usual spark was no longer in his eyes, and he looked tired.

"Are you alright, Uncle?" she asked him.

"What? Oh, yes. Frodo's healing took a lot out of me, and I haven't fully recovered yet." In the growing shadows he looked pale.

"Then you should rest. It wouldn't do for you to fall ill at this time."

"There is so much to do, and time will not stop for me to do it."

"But for tonight Uncle, it's too late for you to really do anymore anyway. You've called for the representatives of the different races already. Arwen told me." She explained when he looked at her. "There isn't much you can do until they get here, so rest."

"And you should do the same my dear. Those bags under your eyes won't go away on their own" Strider's mouth fell open.

"Are _you_ teasing _me_? Doesn't it usually go the other way around?" Elrond chuckled, and kissed the brown-haired girl on the forehead.

"Goodnight Firefly." He said, calling her by her child hood nickname.

"Goodnight Uncle." She said as he left the room. When he was gone she sat down heavily in the nearest chair.

'_Stupid ring_,' she thought. '_It just had to show up again and mess up the lives of so many people_.' She felt especially sorry for the hobbits. They had known nothing but peace and quiet their whole lives. Well, maybe not Marina and Pippin as much mischief as they caused, but still. Their lives had been so care free, and they were suddenly thrust into a world vastly different from their own. A world that was much more dangerous than it should be. Why couldn't the whole world live the way the hobbits did? Peacefully? But no, men, dwarves and elves are to busy trying to create peace using violence.

Strider berated herself. It's not like they wanted to fight, but with orcs and other monstrous things around, they had too. At the moment, the only way to keep the peace _was_ with violence. She sighed and hung her head wearily. Elrond was right, she should get some rest. She stood and started the walk back to her rooms. The night was beautifully clear, and there was a full moon. She walked along the shadowy path, which was dappled from the moonlight shining through the trees. It was a night for romance, and her heart suddenly seemed empty. She shook herself. She'd been around Arwen too long; her and all of her talk about true love. Strider didn't need romance, it would just get in the way anyway. She must be really tired to be even thinking about such things. She took another look at the moon, and hurried up the walk into her house, deciding to go straight to bed.

The next morning, Marina woke up more comfortable than she could ever remember being. She rolled over under the soft blankets and buried her head under her pillow against the sunlight. She attempted to go back to sleep, but someone sitting on her bed and poking her back made it difficult. She groaned and turned her head only enough to show one eye and glared at Pippin.

"Oh come on, it's almost midday, and I'm starving!" he whined.

"You're always starving, Pip." She said, her voice muffled by the pillow. "Besides, you don't need me to eat, and I want more sleep." She rolled over again, but he continued poking her. Finally she couldn't help but start laughing. She realized that she was awake now and wouldn't get back to sleep anymore. So she pulled the pillow out from under her head and smacked Pippin with it. He fell right onto the floor in surprise, and she laughed harder. She hopped out of bed and went to a table in the corner. Someone had delivered fresh clothing to them at some point, and she grabbed some of the brand new things to wear. She changed behind a screen, and when she came out Pippin had to smile.

The dress was simple, like she'd requested. It was sleeveless and blue, with a sash around the waist. Instead of draping the sash in the elfin style so that the ends hung down in front, she'd tied it in a bow at her back, more like the hobbit outfits. But no matter how simple the design, the fabric was finer than anything either of them had ever seen, and draped beautifully over her curves, and the skirt swished around with every movement. His own outfit consisted of a sleeveless tunic of green over a white shirt. Brown pants hung down straight, cutting off above the ankle the way his regular pants had. The two of them grinned at each other's finery just as Strider walked into the room with Sam who was dressed in clean clothing that he'd brought from home.

Strider had spent the day finishing up with her house, and decided to spend time with the hobbits. She had dragged Sam back to the room to have lunch with them, seeing as Gandalf was watching Frodo and he'd be fine. Gandalf even looked gratefully at Strider as they left, glad to be rid of Sam's fussing. The wizard's love for the hobbits was a great amount, but his store on patience was running low. As she entered the hobbits assigned room she grinned at Marina and Pippin.

"Good day you two. And don't you both look splendid in your new clothes." She greeted them happily. Marina blushed and muttered something about feeling over dressed. Strider smiled at her. "It's lovely, really. Just think of what you'd be wearing if you hadn't asked the seamstresses to keep it simple, and you won't feel over dressed anymore." Marina smirked. "I have the same issue, believe me. They all seem to think that I need _dresses_ for some reason. Every time I get new pants or shirts, or anything really, they also make a new dress. I think they believe that if I see the right dress I'll magically become a proper lady." She rolled her eyes and the hobbits laughed at her exasperated expression. "But on a happier note it is lunch time and your meal has been set up in a lovely spot. And I'm here to show you where, come along!"

They followed her to a gazebo type place, surrounded by lovely views of the city. In the center was a large table with mounds of food. Pippin and Sam dived in, Marina laughing at their hurry. They were having a wonderful time over the delicious lunch, when they were joined by Bilbo! The young hobbits jumped up for joy, and gave him a round of hugs. Strider laughed at their antics and said

"Hello Bilbo." Pippin looked up in surprise.

"You know Strider, Bilbo?" Bilbo nodded.

"Yes, Strider and I are well acquainted." He raised an eyebrow at her, and she gave him a small smile.

"You've gotten even older, Old Man." She said happily. It was a subtle hint. When they were in public, and didn't want to be bothered by curious people, they simply called each other Strider and Old Man rather than their real names, to avoid attention. Well, as much attention as a female ranger and a hobbit could avoid.

But the others wanted to hear about Bilbo. Was he on a new adventure? When did his hair get so white? How had he disappeared from the party? The last one remained unanswered. But Bilbo distracted them with a tale of how he had gotten to Rivendell, which led him to tell of his first visit. The three hobbits sat at his feet like children, as if it was the first time they had heard the story. Strider sat on a bench opposite the one Bilbo was sitting on. She too had heard the tale before, but it was wonderful to hear Bilbo's stories again. He had a way of transporting you there, making it seem real.

Bilbo was just getting to the part with the Giant Golden Eagles, when a guard came up. Strider stood, recognizing him as the guard that had been posted just outside Frodo's door. He said three words, and Sam shot off like a stone from a slingshot.

"Frodo is awake" Strider chuckled and followed, waving to the others as she left.

While Frodo was most likely being attacked by Sam, Marina and Pippin decided to wait where they were. Pippin was enjoying the food far too much to leave it and Marina was munching on various things while she walked around looking at all the surrounding views. Bilbo had fallen asleep on his bench and was snoring softly.

"Oh how I wish I had my drawing supplies." She said out loud. And was overheard by an elf walking by. He was very handsome, she admitted to herself, with blond hair and blue eyes.

"Do you draw?" he asked her, joining her at the railing. She looked up the long distance to his face and blushed.

"Well, I attempt it anyway." She said quietly. Pippin came up behind her and spoke with his mouth full of food.

"Don't le' her 'ell you she's ba' at it." He mumbled around a cake and swallowed before continuing. "She's brilliant; you should see some of the things she can draw." The elf smiled.

"In that case, I'll see what I can do about getting you supplies." He smiled at the two and walked away.

"Well he was a nice fellow. Who was he exactly?" Pippin asked, and Marina realized she didn't know.

"I have no idea." She said in confusion. "Do you really think he can get me drawing supplies?"

"I don't doubt it. Did you try these cheese sandwiches? They're delicious!" A short time later, an elf lady came by with a basket. She set it down and showed Marina that inside was a roll of parchment, charcoal pencils and a special kind of clay like thing which would rub the charcoal off of the parchment if she were to make a mistake. There was even a thin board to lay the parchment on so that she didn't have to sit at a table to draw, and a stand to put it on similar to an easel.

"Oh, this is amazing!" Marina exclaimed. She looked at the lady who had delivered it. "Thank you so much." She said with conviction, and the lady smiled.

"Don't thank me little Miss, thank Prince Legolas when you next see him." Then she left and Marina stared after her, her mouth hanging open.

"Prince? Oh wonderful, we were talking to a prince and didn't even know it! He must think us very rude for not showing the proper respect." She said, even as she started sketching the mound of food. She wanted to get it on paper before Pippin ate it all.

"I don't think he expected us to know. He was friendly enough without fancy titles." He took a bit of an apple, swallowed and was about to take another when he looked up. "Frodo!" he shouted, and stood up. Marina whipped around as well, and the two of them ran towards their friend as he walked out of a nearby building. He turned, and when he saw them coming he smiled happily. Marina reached him first, despite wearing a dress and threw her arms around his shoulders. She then hurriedly pulled away.

"Sorry! I forgot about your shoulder!" she exclaimed in dismay, but Frodo just grinned at her. Instead of simply telling her that his shoulder was fine, he wrapped his arms around her waist and swung the girl around in circles. Marina squealed in surprise, but laughed happily as she hugged him tightly in return. When he let go, she stood back to give Pippin a chance.

"No lifting me though." Pippin teased, and they thumped each other on the back in typical male fashion. "Besides, take a look over there." Frodo did as Pippin told him and saw Bilbo on his bench. His face softened and looked so happy that Marina found herself beaming at how happy he was. She, Pippin and Sam stayed back for a while, giving them some privacy, but soon went over to spend time with their two favorite Baggins.

While Frodo was walking around Rivendell with Sam and reuniting with his friends and his uncle, Strider was with Arwen, in her room. Arwen was sitting on the bed, while Strider stood, looking out the window. Rivendell really was beautiful. And it was her favorite place in the world. She hoped she would be able to stay longer this time.

"Father's friends from the other nations will be here soon. Some have already arrived." Arwen said and gave a small smile. "The man from the white city is rather dashing, in a rugged sort of way. You'd like him." Strider, who up to this point has only been giving Arwen half of her attention, turned and gave the she-elf a look of disbelief.

"Are you still going on about that? I've told you before, it's pointless to try and set me up with anybody." She turned and looked out the window again. Arwen sighed.

"Well, maybe you'll think differently when you meet him. I was being subtle when I said he was dashing." Strider rolled her eyes, and left Arwen's room, while the raven-haired girl glared after her.

Soon, Strider was reading one of her favorite books while walking around aimlessly. Not activities most people do at the same time, but she was very talented. The problem was that people looked at her a bit oddly as she walked along. Even without looking at them, she could feel their stares. So she decided to go to a place people rarely visited. Her first stop was taken by a pair of lovers that Strider _really_ wished she hadn't walked in on, but her second stop was more fruitful. It was a round building, with a hole in the middle of the roof for the large tree growing in the center of the room. The wall was covered in murals of the battle with Sauron, and a statue sat on a dais, holding a large platter covered in silk cloth, on top of which lay the broken sword, Narcil. Strider stood at the foot of the dais for a few moments, looking reverently at the sword, and sat down on a bench nearby. She had just gotten comfortable, when someone walked in. It was a man. Somewhere in her mind, she knew it was the man Arwen had been talking about, because he was in fact very handsome. He seemed to be wandering like she had been earlier. He looked at the mural across from the dais, the one of Isildor cutting the ring from Sauron's hand. He seemed to realize someone was watching him, because he suddenly turned and looked at her. He blinked.

"You are no elf." He said with slight surprise.

"The humans of the south are always welcome here. I come a lot."

"Who are you?" Strider hesitated,

"I am a friend to Gandalf the Gray."

"Then we are here for the same reason, my lady."

"There's no need for that, I'm no lady." When the man raised an eyebrow, she laughed a bit and explained. "Yes I am female, but I'm terrible at all those court graces you men are so fond of." The man laughed a bit himself, and turned to the dais itself. He walked up the few steps and stared at the sword in obvious awe.

"The shards of Narcil" he breathed. He gently picked up the hilt and held in both hands like you would a full sword. "The very blade that cut the ring from Sauron's hand." Strider had been watching him, and he now looked at her, with something like guilt written on his face. The gods forbid he was caught admiring something. "Nothing more than a broken heirloom." He hurried in putting hilt back, and walked away; ignoring it when it fell off the shield it rested on. As he left, Strider stood. She walked over and picked the hilt of the sword off the ground. She held in her hands for a moment. She had always liked this sword; it had a simple design, but was a piece of art as much as a weapon. She laid it gently on the silk covered shield, and backed away, bowing slightly in a respectful gesture.

"Why do you fear the past?" Arwen said as she walked behind Strider. She hadn't even heard the she-elf come in. "Just because you're Isildor's heir doesn't mean you're like him."

"And why not?" Strider asked. "I am connected to him by blood, why would the weakness not connect along the same path?"

"You'll have your chance." Arwen said, unusually serious. "You will have to make the same choice, and you will do the right thing, I know it. But for now, it doesn't matter. You won't have to make that decision for a long time. So rest while you can, relax and prepare for whatever is coming." Strider wasn't sure exactly what she meant by that, but she decided to follow her advice. Arwen was rarely as solemn as her father, but when she was, her advice was usually correct. Strider grabbed her book off the bench where she had left it, and turned to leave, waving at Arwen on the way. She wandered away, to find somewhere where she wouldn't be reminded of who she was.

"Finally! The perfect place where I can read in peace." Strider said allowed as she looked around. It was a beautiful place, really. She wondered why she hadn't come here first. It was her favorite place in all of Rivendell, and practically no one came here. It was bridge over a stream, right in front of a waterfall, and surrounded by lush greenery. She sat down in the middle of the bridge, and dangled her feet over the edge. Her feet couldn't reach the water, so she didn't have to worry about taking her boots off. She settled into her seat and sank back into her book. She had been reading for about ten minutes, when she heard footsteps. She turned to look and a pair of lovers stood at the edge of the bridge kissing. She raised an eyebrow and cleared her throat. They stopped and looked at her sheepishly.

"We're terribly sorry; we didn't mean to bother you." The woman said.

"Usually no one comes here." The man said. They were both a bit breathless.

"Why do you think I came here?" Strider asked them, none too politely, and gave them a slight glare. They both turned around and left, apologizing, though the woman glared at her as she did so. Didn't people have anything else on their minds? Strider could swear that almost everywhere she looked there were couples. She shook her head.

Now that she thought about it, this would be a popular spot for lovers. The trees and ferns were so thick you would have plenty of privacy. She closed her book and held it in her lap, no longer able to concentrate on it. Her brother had come here once. The thought of him made her heart pang. He had been here with Arwen, as it so happens. The two of them were so perfect for each other, and they were so happy. Then suddenly, he had gotten himself killed by an Orc raiding party. Strider had been devastated. Although all the men he had been with were killed, she felt like if she had been there she could have saved him. But she had elected to stay behind, on account of a shoulder wound she had gotten shortly before.

Strider had missed him terribly, but she was able to go on with life, knowing that's what her twin would have wanted. Arwen on the other hand, had completely closed up. She didn't speak to anyone. She wouldn't even leave her bedroom. She didn't eat unless food was brought to her, which Strider had taken upon herself to do. Elrond loved his daughter dearly, but Strider knew what she was feeling a bit better than he did, so he had left it to her to help Arwen through her time of grief.

The change had come suddenly. Every day for months, Strider had personally brought up Arwen's breakfast. But one day Arwen was awake and lively, saying she would have breakfast in the dining room like she used to. Arwen suddenly became the person she was before Strider's brother had even come along. She was happy, and talkative, and practically bubbly. Strider hadn't known what to make of it at the time. Everyone loved Arwen and her charm again, but Strider realized that in her heart, Arwen was still grieving, though her head was happy again. In her own way, she had moved on as best she could; hiding her feelings of loss, much like Strider had done.

When Strider asked her why she wasn't sad anymore, Arwen had said it was because she knew he was still alive. But when asked how she knew, she would only shrug and change the subject. But no matter what anyone said to persuade her otherwise, she never stopped believing that he was alive, and that they would eventually find each other again.

Strider laughed as a certain memory came to mind. When her brother and Arwen had first started their courtship, they used to sneak off a lot. Strider had made it a game to follow them and see if she could catch them. As time went by, Arwen and Strider's brother had found better and better hiding places, but Strider got better and better at tracking them. It was a fun competition, and both parties had enjoyed it immensely. Sometimes when Strider was feeling nice, she would pretend that she hadn't found them, and sneak off without bothering them. They would be very happy the next morning until Strider told them exactly where they had been, and they realized she had still won their little competition.

The morning her brother left for the last time, he had told Arwen that their relationship had been nothing more than a dream. He then did the most surprising thing he could have done; he tried to give Arwen her Evenstar pendant back. She told him to keep it and stalked off.

"Well that went well." Strider had said. Her brother whipped around, not having known she was there. "So why did you do that exactly?"

"I am mortal," he said looking at his boots, "And she is elf-kind. It would never have worked."

"You've been talking to Elrond, haven't you?" He had looked up in surprise. "Yes, I can tell. That's exactly the sort of thing he would say. You know he never approved of your relationship, of course he would say that."

"He's right though."

"Not based on that promise Arwen made t you, or did you forget?" Her brother's eyes filled with hope.

"Do you think I could fix things?" he had asked, sounding almost frightened.

"It's never too late to fix things with the one you love." Just then the horn was blown for the hunting party to be off. "Now, dear twin of mine, it's time for you to go. Don't get killed, or I'll want to know why." She straightened Arwen's necklace, which he had put back on, and gave him a hug. He hurried off, shouting good bye as the party went out the gate.

If only she had known that would be the last time she ever saw him.

--

_Well theres chapter 7, I do hope you enjoyed it! I liked writing this one, it was a challenge to keep things interesting when there wasn't much happening. Although I think I succeded if I may say so A quick note,school is starting for everyone, so life is going to speed up very quickly. I'll continue to work on all my stories as best I can, but don't be too surprised if it takes longer for me to get to things. I'm afraid my schoolwork comes before writing sadly enough. In any case, the more people review, the sooner the next chapter will be up! Especially since I have most of the story already written, and all I have to do is look over it :P_

_You Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	8. Chapter 8

What if…

What if…

Chapter 8

Strider was sitting there lost in her memories, holding her book in her lap. She was so out of it that when someone waved a hand in front of her face she jumped and dropped her book. Unfortunately she was still sitting on the edge of the bridge, and her book fell in the rushing water below.

"No!" she cried and raced down the river following the book, hoping to catch it before it got to the next waterfall. A distant part of her mind registered the fact that whoever had surprised her was following her and that they were light on their feet.

He had first politely asked her why she was here and she ignored him. Then he asked what her name was and again, she didn't answer. He kneeled down and balanced on the balls of his feet, and saw that her eyes were distant. He waved a hand in front of her face. He could have sworn she jumped a hand's length into the air, before she dropped her book. It seemed to fall in slow motion, but she moved like lightning. She jumped up yelling, and raced after the book down the stream. He followed.

He was surprised. There she was, seemingly just a human girl but she moved like she was a she-elf; a trained she-elf at that. She practically flew over the ground barely leaving any sign that she had been there at all. He studied her as she ran. She wore and loose white shirt covered with a leather vest that hugged her gentle curves. She had on brown cotton pants which tucked into her leather boots. Her hair was in a braid, but he could still see its rich brown color, which shone with a bit of red in the sun. She was pretty, he decided, but who was she?

Strider ran, following the books passage downstream, but she was too late. She came to a cliff, and the book went tumbling down the waterfall. She cursed quietly, and turned to look at her pursuer. But instead of scolding him, the breath caught in her throat. She, Strider, was actually breathless. He was very handsome, with long blond hair, half of it pulled back and braided out of his face. He had bright, sapphire blue eyes, which caught her attention. She mentally shook herself.

"What did you do that for?" she asked angrily. He glared back at her.

"I was only trying to get your attention, you were ignoring me."

"I most certainly was not. I didn't even know you were there."

"Well, it's not my fault you dropped your book, is it?"

"Yes it is, you could have just left me alone, and there wouldn't have been a problem."

"It's just a book; there are plenty of them here to choose from." Her glare got, if possible, even worse.

"No, it wasn't _just_ a book. It was my brother's."

"I'm sure he'll understand if you just explain to him what happened."

"I can't, he's dead." That shut him up. "Well, it was nice meeting you." She said with a fake smile, and walked off.

"Legolas." He said. She turned around.

"Pardon?"

"My name is Legolas."

"That's nice."

"Wait, what's yours?"

"None of your business. Goodbye." She walked away.

He mentally cursed her. Who did she think she was? The fact that some slip of a girl had had the last word bothered him to no end. And a human girl at that. He never had learned her name, but he really didn't care. Not anymore anyway.

Looking back on the conversation Strider had to laugh. His face, (Legolas was his name?) had been priceless when she hadn't given her name in return. She chuckled. She was wandering around again when she came upon a bench holding a dwarf. She sat down next to him, and looked around. The bench he had chosen had a spectacular view of the waterfalls and the forest surrounding them.

"This is nothing compared to an entire dwarf city under the ground." The dwarf said gruffly.

"I'm sure your cities are impressive, but I'm afraid I have never had the chance to see one of them for myself." Strider replied. The dwarf looked up at her. He had a kind looking face, and she could see him grinning under his beard.

"You should come back with me lassie; you'd enjoy th e welcome home party." Strider laughed.

"I'm sure I would, but I would tower over everyone!"

"Once everyone had had a few ales, no one would notice." He chuckled, "And you probably wouldn't either." They continued talking when Elrond came up to them. "Gimli, I'm glad I found you, the council will be starting in about two hours. You may want to change out of your traveling clothes. That goes for you too Ari." Gimli turned to her.

"Ari? Is that short for something?" Strider sighed. But the truth was going to be told during the council anyway, and she preferred to have someone on her side. She glared at Elrond as he walked away, and told Gimli her story.

Eventually, a guard found them and told them the council meeting would be held in only an hour and a half. She nodded to the messenger and he strode off.

"Well, Gimli, it was an honor to meet you. I'll see you in a short while." They both stood and bowed to each other. Strider walked away again, this time with a destination in mind. She walked into a room and addressed the girl sitting on the couch.

"Arwen, I need your help." Arwen looked up, curiosity in her eyes. "Your father is having a formal council this evening about the ring, and I have no idea what to wear." Arwen stood and joined Strider on the way back to her house. On the way there, Strider told her about her encounter with Legolas. They laughed the whole way up to Strider's house. When they got there, Arwen went straight to Strider's clothes chest. She pulled out an armful of dresses which Strider never wore. She laid them on the bed and chose different ones, comparing the colors to Strider's skin tone and muttering to herself. Strider had been through this before, and she knew that all she had to do was stand there and wait for it to be over. Finally Arwen made a choice, and Strider got changed. Arwen then did her hair. Well, all she really did was take it out of its braid and tie the front sections back so it wouldn't get in her face. She chose a necklace as well, but Strider refused. She took out a simple silver chain from her bedside table, and put it on. On it was a charm shaped like a bow and arrow. It was a gift from her brother, and she always wore it when she felt like she needed a little luck. She did let Arwen pick the earrings though. They were shaped like vines and seemed crawl up the sides of her ears for about an inch. Arwen was about to start makeup, but Strider flat out refused. Arwen however wouldn't let her leave the room until she could put something on, and as she was running out of time Strider was forced to agree. Arwen kept her promise and did only what she thought absolutely necessary. She outlined her eyes faintly with kohl, and put a cream on her lips which made them a bit darker than they usually were. Strider was then able to get out of her elf sisters clutches, and escape to the council. Which was rather ironic, considering she was dreading going to the council dressed as she was.

Frodo left for the council with Sam right behind him. Marina watched them leave and looked at Pippin. He grinned and she smiled back, they both stood and left the room as if they were simply going for a walk. By now, the two of them had explored the city thoroughly, and knew exactly where the council would be taking place. They also knew the long way to get there so as to avoid suspicion. They strolled along talking casually. Marina stopped and chatted with a few sparrows for a minute or two, and then they moved on as if they were simply bored and wandering. Then, when the coast was clear, they hopped off the path and dashed through the trees towards the council area. Marina hitched up her dress above her knees and hugged the fine cloth to her chest so it wouldn't get caught on anything. Soon they heard the muttering voices of those who had actually been invited and slowed down. Pippin climbed up onto the path again and turned to pull Marina up behind him. There, they crouched down behind a couple of pillars and settled down to wait.

By the time Strider got there, everyone else had already arrived. She cursed herself and Arwen for taking so long. She was going to get too much attention about the dress already, but now all eyes would be on her when she walked in. She was about to walk into the council area when she saw Marina and Pippin crouching behind two pillars. She smiled.

"You do realize this is a private council, don't you?" The hobbits jumped up and spun around to se her. Marina fumbled for excuses, but Pippin was completely speechless.

"We were just…I mean…we're not doing anything….just passing by." Marina stuttered, and then she too was silent.

"What's wrong?" She asked them

"You're…beautiful!" Pippin said, breaking his silent streak. Strider knew it wouldn't have lasted long. She smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you Pippin, I really do hate these formal councils, they require you to get all dressed up." She glanced into the area again. "I should probably go in then, wish me luck." Marina seemed to sense that she was feeling uncomfortable about being the center of attention.

"Don't worry Strider; soon they'll be too busy staring at the ring to stare at you." Strider laughed, and whispered a thank you toward the two hobbits. They had given her a bit of confidence. She took a deep breath and walked in.

Legolas noticed her the moment she walked in. There was no way that this beautiful woman in front of him was the same girl he had argued with earlier. She wore a dark blue dress. It was tight in the bodice, and flowed out into a long skirt which swayed gracefully as she moved. The sleeves were of a light blue, flowy material, and hung down loosely, flaring out as it went down her arms and past her wrists. A light blue wrap tied around her waist and hung down in the front. Her loose hair flowed as she walked over to Lord Elrond, and spoke softly too him. Despite having excellent hearing, even for an elf, Legolas couldn't hear what she said. She had given her voice just the right amount of wispiness to make it blend with the breeze going by, making it impossible for him to understand what she was saying. He was staring at her in open amazement when Elrond looked right at him. He looked down, sheepish to be caught staring at a human girl, even one so talented as her.

Instead he looked around at the others. The rest of them were male, the girl being the only female of the group. But despite her standing out so easily, she didn't seem to notice just how much attention she was getting. One of the men, seemingly their leader, was watching the girl as well, apparently out of amazement. The hobbit that was there was also staring at her, but in surprise. By the look on his face, he hadn't seen her dressed like that before, and hadn't expected it. For some reason, Legolas felt privileged to see her in such finery, but he shook the thought from his head as everyone started taking their seats. The Council of Elrond was beginning.

As everyone sat down, the council area grew silent. Elrond stood and looked around gravely at those present. Those who had been cheerful from their conversations found their smiles leaving their faces. Finally Elrond spoke.

"Welcome, travelers from distant lands. I have called you all together to discuss a matter which concerns all of Middle earth. You will unite or you will fall. Bring forth the ring, Frodo."

He gestured to the hobbit. Frodo stood and looked around nervously. Strider gave him a reassuring smile, and he placed the ring on the pedestal in the center. Strider, who had known about the ring, watched the faces of those who hadn't. There was a collective gasp, and people started murmuring to each other. The man she had met earlier muttered something along the lines of "So it's true", and Legolas simply looked at it, his expression unreadable. Frodo sat down again and heaved a sigh of relief, a small smile growing on his face. Strider was happy for him. He missed his home so much, and now he could go back to the Shire.

"In a dream," someone said, and Strider turned to see the "dashing" man stand up. "I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the west a pale light lingered, and a voice cried out, saying that Isildor's Bane had been found." He reached out, toward the ring, a look in his eyes that showed he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. Elrond called what Strider assumed was his name, "Boromir!" but it was Gandalf's words that caused him to back down. They were horrible. The harsh sounding words echoed unpleasantly and Strider's temples started pounding. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the gray pilgrim to be done. Finally there was silence, and warmth and light flooded back into the clearing. She opened her eyes to see Elrond glaring, as only he could, at Gandalf.

"Never before has that language been uttered here, Gandalf."

"I do not apologize, my Lord Elrond, for the language of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the west. The ring is altogether evil."

"It is a gift." Boromir said, standing again. "A gift to the foes of Mordor. We could use the ring. My father the Steward of Gondor has long kept the forces of Mordor at bay. Our people die, and your lands are kept safe. If Gondor had the weapon of the enemy, we could use it against him!" He said triumphantly, as if he had already won the debate. Strider couldn't stay silent.

"It's not that simple." She said in a clear voice, which rung like a bell in the silence after Boromir's speech. Boromir turned and gave her a slight glare, but she continued. "The ring has no master other than Sauron, if any of us were to use it, we wouldn't be able to control it."

"And what," Boromir asked exasperatedly, "would a ranger know of this matter?"

"That is no mere ranger, laddie," Said a gruff voice. Gimli stood. "She is Arianna, the daughter of Arathorn. You owe her your allegiance." Strider glanced down, uncomfortable. People were staring. Boromir looked skeptical, Legolas's eyes had widened a bit, and Frodo looked more surprised than he had about her dress.

"Arianna? This is Isildor's heir?" Arianna didn't think Boromir could sound any more disbelieving.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Gimli finished with satisfaction.

"Gimli, sit down please." Arianna said softly. She didn't like the attention she was getting. As a ranger, she was much happier when hidden than in the spotlight. Frodo had an almost pleased expression on his face, as he came to understand the situation. Of the four hobbits, he had been most interested to learn about the world outside the Shire and was eager to learn the situation of Middle Earth. The two of them had spent quite a while discussing everything. The hidden Marina and Pippin, and most likely Sam, probably had no idea the full extent of what was going on.

"Gondor has no king." Boromir said extreme dislike evident in his voice. "And it certainly doesn't need a Queen." He sat down heavily and glared at her.

Elrond looked around to make certain that all the outbursts were finished. He then spoke again. "You have only one choice, the ring must be destroyed." Mutterings and sighs flowed throughout the council chamber. At least they weren't clueless about how difficult the task would be. But then Gimli stood up, saying

"Then what are we waitin' for?" He strode forward and swung his ax high.

"Gimli, no!" Arianna cried, but too late. The ax hit the ring with tremendous force, and threw Gimli backwards. As the air cleared, Gimli could be found lying on the ground, the ring was surrounded by fragments of his once beautiful ax. Arianna noticed Frodo holding his head, as if he had a sudden headache. She was worried about him. If it was connected with the attempted destroying of the ring, then he might be getting attached to it. She hoped he would be able to live in peace when he finally got home.

"The ring cannot be destroyed by any craft we here posses. It was forged in the fires of Mount Doom, and only there can it me un-made." Elrond said. "It must be taken into the heart of Mordor, and cast into the fires from whence it came."

Boromir shook his head and spoke again. "One does not simply walk into Mordor. The black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten-thousand men could you do this, it is folly." Arianna was impressed that he knew what he was talking about, but his attitude was rather disappointing. Legolas stood up next.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond just said?" He asked, "The ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it laddie?" Gimli asked him, standing as well. Legolas gave him a confident look that said 'absolutely'. Boromir stood to give his own opinion, as Gimli said

"I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!" Suddenly all the elves present were standing to defend their position, and the dwarves followed suit as Gimli continued his chant of "Never trust an elf!" Gandalf stood as well, and finally Arianna stood and entered the crowd. She no longer had the spotlight, and was perfectly able to give her opinions to everyone. But she didn't.

Legolas noticed when Arianna stood. But instead of joining the shouting debaters she strode through the crowd as if they weren't there. First she went to Gimli and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, about to say something, but he shut up when he saw her disapproving look. The annoying dwarf actually looked embarrassed! She said something softly into his ear and walked off. Then she went to Boromir and laid a hand on his arm. He started to debate with her as well, annoyance written all over his face. He didn't seem happy to have found out the true identity of the ranger. They must have met before for him to be so upset by it. He started talking to her, quietly but almost angrily. She whispered back to him, just as fiercely. It went back and forth like this, and Legolas became preoccupied with his own arguments. When he next saw Arianna, she was walking away from an astonished looking Boromir. She continued in this fashion, flowing through the group like water, calming people in her wake. Everyone she talked to would continue their debate after she left, but in a much calmer way. Rather that shouting at each other, they were simply talking.

Gandalf, who was very nearby, was shouting to be heard over a group of three dwarfs and two elves. Arianna stepped into the group and for a time simply stood there, listening to the argument. They were continuing the debate over why the other race couldn't be trusted. Then she spoke.

"Why are you even speaking of this?" she asked calmly. She didn't shout, but she was still able to be heard. They all calmed down. Gandalf smiled and stepped back a bit, giving Arianna the full attention of the others. "What is the point of this argument?" she paused, and both the dwarfs and elves stopped talking to listen to her. "You all know that the ring must be destroyed, correct? We all must work together to make certain the deed is done. It doesn't really matter what race holds the ring, does it? Weather the ring bearer is a dwarf, elf, human or hobbit all that really matters is whether they are willing to see the job done. Whoever holds ring must be prepared to face down all the dangers of the journey and the destination. And both will be quite filled to the brim with dangers. So ask yourselves, are you arguing for the glory of your own people or the survival of all Middle Earth?" and with that question, she walked away, leaving a very subdued group, looking sheepishly at each other. Gandalf chuckled to himself, and joined them again, this time leading the discussion.

Legolas was impressed. It had taken a great deal of bravery, to stand between an arguing elf and dwarf, and a great deal of skill to calm them down with only a few words. He saw her go over to Elrond, who smiled at her gratefully.

Arianna grinned at Elrond as he thanked her. She didn't know why, but she had always seemed to know exactly what to say to make people calm down. It was a gift that balanced her brother's, but he had been much better than her. If he was here, he would have had the entire council on his side with only a few words. He was able to inspire any emotion he desired, while she was able to calm people down when that was what was best for the situation. But he wasn't here, so she did her best on her own. Then she heard something she wished she hadn't.

"I will take it!" She turned and looked at Frodo who had stepped forward. "I will take it!" he said again, and everyone stopped talking and looked at him. "I will take the ring to Mordor." Arianna felt terrible. She should have known he would do this. For a hobbit he was uncommonly interested in the world outside the Shire, but he had no idea how hard this journey would be. However, he was already feeling responsibility for the ring he had carried here. He would grow more attached to it as time went by, despite how well he had done so far. Then, uncertainly, he said "Although, I do not know the way." Gandalf smiled at the hobbit, and stepped forward.

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins." He said, and stood behind him. Arianna realized that this was Frodo's decision, and although she couldn't stop him, she could give him all the help he could get. She turned to her small friend with a smile.

"I will gladly continue our journey together Frodo." Arianna came forward and kneeled before him, her dress gracefully pooling around her. "You have my sword." She didn't see Legolas raise an eyebrow at those words, but Frodo did, and he decided to wonder about it later. He smiled gratefully at her, and she grinned reassuringly back. She then joined Gandalf behind him. Legolas apparently didn't want to be outdone by a female, because he joined them saying,

"And you have my bow." The not being outdone trend continued to Gimli, who committed his ax to the quest, and joined them as well. Frodo looked up as Boromir stood.

"If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done." As the man took his place in the group, Frodo heard a shout from behind them.

"Hey!" was all Arianna heard before a stout hobbit pushed his way past her and next to Frodo. She hid a laugh, and covered her mouth to keep from smiling. "You aren't goin' nowhere without me." Sam said defiantly.

"It seems almost impossible to separate you, even when he was summoned to a private council, and you were not." Elrond said with a rare smile. At his words, Arianna laughed a bit, and then bit her lip as Boromir gave her an odd look which almost set her laughing again.

"Oy! We're coming too!" she heard from the entrance to the council area, as Marina and Pippin shot out from their hiding places. Marina took her place next to Frodo and crossed her arms defiantly. "And you'll have to tie us in a sack to stop us."

"Besides" Pippin said, "You need people of intelligence of this sort of mission….quest…thing." Marina looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well than rules you out Pip." she said seriously.

Arianna's smothered giggles got worse. Then she saw Gandalf's face, a combination of laughter and exasperation, and bit her lip. Both Boromir and Legolas gave her weird looks, and she looked away from them before she embarrassed herself any further. She cleared her throat and calmed herself. Elrond scanned the group in apparent satisfaction.

"Very well," He said importantly. "You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Everyone in the group stood up a bit straighter. A proper title made their mixed band feel more important and connected. Now, they were all a part of something larger, tied to the fate of their world.

"Right," Pippin said happily, "Where are we going?" Marina gave him a look that said 'are you serious?' and Pippin looked right back, all innocence. Now that the council was over Arianna was able to excuse herself and leave the terrace, finally allowing herself to burst out laughing when she was out of hearing range.

--

_Yay, lets get this journey started! Next chapter anyways :P The council scene was fun to write actually, and surprisingly easy to personalize. Either I'm getting better, or it was an easy scene, lol. And just for that, I'm going to put up another chapter Yay! Except I have to edit it first. So for those you you who are up at 1:30 in the morning like me, you'll have something to enjoy while you wait XD_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	9. Chapter 9

What if…

What if…

Chapter 9

Now that the issue was resolved in the council, there was a great feast. Everyone who hadn't been summoned was eager to hear what had happened, and they waited, tittering to each other in the banquet hall. Arianna wasn't the first to go in, but she was the first many of them practically tackled when she walked through the door. They pulled her over to a corner where Bilbo sat. They pushed her into a chair and demanded to hear the entire thing. Bilbo had apparently told them all of her ability to remember things like this well, and that she would tell it in a way that wouldn't be boring. She realized that those who came to her were the younger elves, if there was such a thing, who disliked hearing about all the politics and debates that went on. They pretty much wanted to hear a story. But after the long council she was hungry and she excused herself, much to their disappointment. She went to the main table and filled her plate with food, then found a small set of table and chairs no one was using. She ate in silence until someone sat in the chair opposite her. She looked up into the eyes of Legolas.

"Hello." He said politely.

"What?" she asked him, still angry about the bridge incident.

"I simply came to offer my company and conversation, and you can't even say hello?"

"Alright then. Hello and good bye, conversation done. The company can leave now." She went back to her food.

"Have I done something especially annoying to you?" he asked and she looked up. "Because you don't seem too pleased to see me."

"Really? I didn't think you'd ever catch on. Congratulations."

He was shocked. Who did she think she was? He was a prince of the wood elves, and she spoke to him like she was the superior one. Normally he had a way with women. But this…this _girl_ had outsmarted him and had the last word again. And for reasons unknown to him, it infuriated him to no end. He stood and walked off; looking back only once he sat down with a particularly pretty elf. Arianna was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a look that told him she was laughing at him. He turned away and started giving the pretty elf his full attention.

He was jealous. Arianna couldn't believe it, but he was mad that he couldn't get her attention. At least not the way he wanted it. Not the way the elf he had joined was giving him her attention. Completely. With a face full of wonder that a handsome elf prince had sat down with her out of everyone in the room.

She was jealous. What? She mentally scolded herself for even thinking such things. Why would she be jealous that an annoying, arrogant, infuriating princeling had finally left her alone? She wasn't, not at all. But a part of her was jealous that someone else was getting his attention other than her. She shook her head and went back to her food. She'd be spending too much time with him as it was on the upcoming journey; she'd better be mentally prepared for his annoying attempts at flattery and flirtation.

Arwen joined her soon after, taking Legolas's empty seat. "What did you say to him?" she asked in her big-sister voice. The voice that was trying to find Arianna someone to be with.

"Nothing much." She answered.

"Nothing Much?! He stalked away with his pride wounded like its head was cut off." Arwen said seriously, although Arianna had to chuckle at the mental image. "Your hopeless, you now that Ari? How are any males going to like you if you keep blowing them off?"

"Arwen," Arianna said, leaning forwards to keep the conversation more private, "Did you ever think that maybe my goal is not to have males like me especially well? I'm not going to try hard to get anyone to like me if they can't like who I am in the first place, and I'm not going to try to impress anyone who made me drop my favorite book over a waterfall." Arwen gave her a look that said she wanted to continue the conversation, but let Arianna change the subject. The two of them talked and ate, and as soon as Arianna's plate was clean she was pulled back over to Bilbo's corner to relate the council details. When she was done, Arianna thought that'd she'd done pretty well, simplifying the long council into the entertaining tale her audience wanted to hear. After they'd left, she and Bilbo talked some more about the council's details and what had happened. He wasn't very happy that Frodo wasn't going home when he so obviously wanted to, but he realized as Arianna had that it was his decision.

After the sun went down and the moon had started rising, Arianna left the party to go home. She quickly packed her necessities and changed into her bed clothes. She slid under her blankets and savored the last feel of a bed for what would probably be a very long time.

Next morning Arianna was up bright and early. She dressed in her travel clothes. They were comfortable, and offered protection, and were light enough not to be burden in her travels. She put on her belt with her sword and one of her daggers hanging off of it. She strapped two more small knives to her writs with special sheathes. These were hidden under her sleeves, and came as quite a surprise to many. She grabbed her quiver and put it on her back and hung the bow over her shoulder using its bowstring. She looked around hoping she had everything, then grabbed an apple and walked down to the clearing where the Fellowship would start off. She wasn't the first one there, but she wasn't the last either. She started to help load the pony they'd gotten in Bree, Bill, with bags of provisions and equipment. When she saw that no one would notice her absence, she slipped away.

She arrived at her destination and looked around. It was a small clearing, with a statue of a woman on one side of it. The statue was covered in leaf debris and vines. Arianna softly walked over and started clearing it. As she worked, Elrond came up.

"She came to Rivendell to protect you and your brother, seeking a place to raise you in peace. And when she died we all mourned for her. But in her heart she knew that the two of you could never escape your fate. The elves have the ability to re-forge the sword, but only you have the power to wield it."

"Uncle…you know I don't want that power, it was my brother's."

"If your brother had survived, you would not have had to, but now you are last of that bloodline, there isn't anyone else who can bear this burden." He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You cannot remain hidden from the world forever, my child, no matter how much you want to." He kissed her on the forehead. "Good luck on this journey, Firefly, and I pray that it's not your last."

"Well that's a nice attitude Uncle, it fills me with confidence." Arianna said, pretending to be offended. "Don't you know that I always come back no matter how many times you get rid of me?" Elrond laughed and relaxed a bit. She smiled, and left to finish preparing, waving at him as she walked away.

When the fellowship was ready, there was an audience for their sending off. Arwen stood in front of the group, shorter than most of them, much to her annoyance. She tried to make up for her lack of height by standing a step ahead of the rest of them. The fellowship was gathered around the gateway they would be exiting, except Frodo who stood in the middle of the clearing.

"The Journey of the Fellowship will now begin. May the blessings of men, elves, and dwarf free-folk go with you." Lord Elrond said importantly. He looked almost happy with a small smile on his face, but Arianna knew he regretted sending them off on such a dangerous trip. Arwen looked completely devastated, with tears swimming in her eyes. They were like sisters after all, and Arwen wasn't as good at hiding her feelings as her father.

"The fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer." Gandalf said. He insisted on sticking to tradition and being proper in their journey, something which would annoy Arianna to no end. She watched as Frodo took one last look at the Elven city of Imladris, then turned and walked between Gandalf and herself out the gate. Arianna waited until everyone else had gone past, and then turned around. Arwen tried to smile at her, but the effect was ruined by the tear flowing down her cheek. Arianna glanced at the fellowship before running to give her elf-sister a quick hug.

"I'll come back." she promised.

"You'd better, or I'll want to know why." They grinned at each other then Arianna hurried to her place at the end of the line. She waved with a cheery smile she didn't feel before she turned the corner out of sight.

--

They walked all day and late into the night, hoping to put good distance between themselves and Rivendell. The next morning they had a quick breakfast, with Pippin complaining about the smallness of it. Marina spent quite a while explaining to him why they couldn't eat more. But the world was bigger than Pippin could comprehend, and he didn't seem to realize how long they would be on the road. That day during their lunch break, Gandalf laid out their plans for them, hoping to stop the hungry hobbit's complaining.

"We will hold this course west of the Misty Mountains for forty days. If our luck holds, the gap of Rohan will still be open to us, and then our path will turn east to Mordor." After that Pippin stopped complaining. Almost.

After traveling together for about a week, the group had relaxed a bit around each other. All except Legolas and Gimli, who seemed to be holding some sort of grudge against each other. The two of them were about as different as night and day, but did that mean they couldn't at least _try_ to be friendly? Arianna wasn't sure what to make of it, but she decided that it would be best to stay out of the middle of it. But everyone had found themselves a place in their line, and Legolas was at the front while Gimli was toward the back, behind the hobbits and the pony. They simply avoided each other the best they could, and the rest of them ignored their spats.

Arianna found herself spending most of her time with Boromir at the back of the fellowship. At first she had been wary. He had seemed so angry when he had found out who she was, but she had been happily surprised when he was most companionable. They talked quite a bit surprisingly, telling of their pasts and their hopes for the future, annoying siblings and over-protective fathers. They had a lot in common, and Arianna was very happy that he wasn't really angry at her. He told her one day that

"I was only surprised."

"Surprised?" she had exclaimed, "You seemed livid enough to breathe fire. I thought you despised me!"

"Despised you? No, of course not. But you see, my father is the Steward of Gondor, and he has been ruling for many years. My first reaction to the heir to the thrown being alive was anger that my father would lose his place. It has been bred into me I'm afraid. But I realize that he is no longer the best thing for the city of Minas Tirith, and I am dreadfully sorry for the way I behaved."

"Well I can understand your first reaction well enough, it is pretty much the natural instinct for a child to protect those who raised them. But why is he no longer the best one to rule?" Arianna asked, curious. Boromir had grimaced, mumbled something, and then changed the subject, asking her what she had done to protect whoever raised her. This had launched Arianna into a tale of how she had been determined to protect Lord Elrond from the killer caterpillars, and had them both laughing for quite some time. Arianna politely acted as if she had forgotten her unanswered question, but it remained in the back of her mind for the rest of the day.

After about two weeks of traveling, the group came to a large cliff. Gandalf had conveniently forgotten that it was there, but now remembered in great detail how far in each direction it went. The delay would be too great to risk. Speed was of the essence, and such a setback would hinder them greatly. So the decision was made that they would have to go down it.

Now, this was much easier said than done. Most of the group was fair when it came to climbing, except Gimli, Gandalf and Bill the pony. They would have to lower them down with rope slings. The ones at the top had to be strong enough to lower them down, and the last ones up there would have to climb down without any ropes at all. The trick was splitting up the fighters of the group so they would all have protection, but still have the strength up top to lower the others down and hold ropes for the rest. Finally they said that Gimli would be let down first, then the 4 hobbits. Then Arianna, Boromir and Legolas would lower the pony. Boromir would climb down with the rope, and Arianna and Legolas would lower Gandalf, and then climb down on their own. The group had been unanimous that they were the best climbers. Legolas had taken it in stride, but Arianna had a faint glow of appreciation in her cheeks.

They carried out the plan well, despite Gimli's complaints as he was lowered down the Cliffside. When he finally reached the bottom, he wriggled his way out of the sling and it was pulled back up. The hobbits were pretty good climbers themselves, and they only needed a rope tied around their waist just in case. Bill was a bit more difficult. Using almost an entire length of rope, they created a sling for him, which Arianna hoped wouldn't be too uncomfortable. He was starting to panic a bit, so she went to his head and forced him to look at her by putting her hands on the side of his head like blinders. She whispered to him to calm him down and tied her cloak over his head, so he couldn't see. She continued to talk to him in a soothing voice as they tied other ropes to the harness and with the help of a large over hanging rock somehow managed to get him down without too much trouble. Needless to say, Bill seemed very happy to have his hooves on solid ground again, and Sam was very happy to free him of his restraints and let them be pulled back up to the top of the cliff. Boromir then climbed down, while Legolas held his rope and Arianna tied up a chair-like sling for Gandalf. Finally the wizard came down from the rock he'd been using to get a good view, and Arianna and Legolas lowered him down the cliff. At the last minute, they thought to send down their extra things they didn't really want to have on when they were climbing, and lowered them down before dropping the last rope.

The two of them looked at each other, and then Arianna grinned. Legolas seemed to understand perfectly.

"Last one down has to sharpen the other's arrows tonight." She said.

"Agreed." He said and they shook hands. They looked over the edge. Apparently, Frodo had a good idea of what they were going to do as well, because he shouted

"Ready? And……GO!"

--

"GO!" Frodo shouted. Boromir was astounded. He had never seen anyone willingly throw themselves over the side of a cliff, but here were two people doing it right now! They were both fast, so fast that they looked like squirrels. Boromir didn't once see them look for handholds or anything; it was as if they had some special voice in their head telling them exactly where to find them. His mouth fell open when he saw Arianna pause for a minute, and then _leap_ to another ledge, one to the right and down a few feet. He knew she was different from most women, but he had no idea she was suicidal! Legolas wasn't to be outdone it seemed, because he actually let go and dropped a few feet before grabbing onto another ledge. The race down was done so quickly Boromir wasn't even sure if it had happened. Frodo had been watching the ground carefully, but neither he nor anyone else could tell who had made it down first. He wondered if he would ever meet anyone crazier than these two, but took one look at their exhilarated faces and doubted it.

Arianna laughed when she saw everyone's faces. Boromir looked dumbfounded. The hobbits were amazed and clapping, Gimli was huffing, and Gandalf was wearing his famed look of exasperation. She turned to Legolas, and saw him laughing as well. Frodo said that he had no idea who won, and no one else could either. But at the moment, neither elf nor human girl cared. They simply agreed that it was a tie, and that they would both sharpen arrows around the campfire that night. As they all gathered their things and got ready to set out again, she saw Legolas grin at her. Not in a flirtatious way, but a friendly one. She grinned back. Maybe she could give him the benefit of the doubt.

When they did camp that night, they both grabbed their quivers and their whetstones, and sat by the fire. At first they simply chatted politely, neither of them wanting to mess things up again. But as their piles of arrows to sharpen got lower, so did their stiffness. They were soon laughing about a story Legolas was telling about a prank he and his youngest sister had pulled on their mother when they were small. They had caught lizards and put them all over her dressing room. One funny story led to another, and they spent quite a while telling them. First to each other, but then it spread as the rest of the fellowship joined in. Sam told of how once, when he was "just a little un" he had planted all the flower bulbs in the garden upside down. Marina and Pippin told of an ale fight at an Inn called the Green Dragon, which had turned into what they called an 'ale slide' down a nearby hill. Gimli spoke of the first time he saw a forest and thought that an army of green giants was attacking. He had sounded the alarm and called an entire camp of dwarves to him only to laugh at him. Gandalf thought himself above such foolishness, but was soon cajoled into telling a tale of when he was an apprentice and he had accidentally turned the hair and beards of all of his professors blue. He had been given the job of expelling all the rats from the castle where they were taught, and that he had gotten very good at it by the end of the month. Frodo then asked him if that's why Baggend never had any rat trouble with rats and Gandalf winked at him, sending them all into peals of laughter again. The nine of them ended up laughing long into the night, and the fellowship finally became whole.

A few weeks later, they had stopped for lunch and a nice long break. Boromir was helping Marina and Pippin improve their sword skills, with Arianna watching and giving advice every once in a while. Sam and Frodo ate while watching, Sam shaking his head at either their foolishness or their energy, it was hard to tell. Gimli complained that they were taking the "long way around" and that they should go through a mine one of his cousins ruled over. Gandalf argued that it wasn't a good decision, while Legolas kept a watch on everything at once.

"Move your feet." Arianna said to Pippin as he blocked Boromir's slow motion swings. Marina did her turn while eating a roll. Pippin said she was doing a good job, and Marina thanked him in a muffled voice. Then Boromir's sword slid down Pippin's and cut his finger. Boromir was instantly all apologies but Pippin kicked him and the two hobbits tackled him to the ground, shouting "For the Shire!" Arianna laughed as Boromir tried and failed to get up. She put down her plate of food, grabbed an apple, and went to his aid. She grabbed the jackets of the hobbits, but was completely unprepared when they pulled her legs right out from under her. She fell on her back, her apple went flying. She quickly rolled over and got up. She was then able to get Pippin down and she sat on his back, not letting him get up. His legs and arms flailed helplessly, while Boromir and Marina laughed.

"What is that?" they heard Sam ask. Arianna looked around from her seat on Pippin's back.

"It's just a wisp of cloud." Gimli said dismissively. At these words, Arianna stood and helped Pippin up.

"It's moving fast." Boromir said, worry in his voice.

"And against the wind." She said. Now everyone was looking at the odd gray-brown shape coming their way.

"Krabite from Dunland!" Legolas shouted. For a moment everyone stood still until Arianna shouted

"Hide!" Everyone scrambled. Sam dumped the water he'd been boiling over the fire to put it out, everyone else grabbed packs and discarded cloaks and hid them under rocks and bushes. Arianna and Frodo squished under an overhanging rock. She prayed to whoever might be listening that everyone else was hidden well. In almost no time at all, the large black birds were flying around the rock formation where they were. But instead of flying on as she was hoping, they wheeled around overhead and went back the way they came. Had they seen anyone? Did they know they were there? Once they were gone, she and Frodo crept out from under the rock. They stood, and watched as the rest of the group came out as well.

"The passage south is being watched." Gandalf said. "We must go through the Pass of Kerefas." He looked gravely at the pass to the south; it was filled with snow, and would not give them easy passage. Everyone looked at each other, and started packing up their things. It was time to get moving again.

_--_

_First off, before anyone sends me a review about Gandalf's schooling, I have no idea about it. I made up something that seemed to make sense and went with it. Now that thats all cleared up, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Two in one night, w00t! I was thinking of putting up another one...but I don't want to spoil you :P Please Review though, it means tons and gets the chapters coming faster!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	10. Chapter 10

What if…

What if…

Chapter 10

The journey through the mountain pass was every bit as difficult as Arianna had expected it to be. Although they were lucky to have clear skies for the first week of traveling through it, the previous snowfall was not fun to go through at all. It was already 4 hand lengths deep, which was bad enough, but the top had melted and re-froze over and over as the days went by, giving the snow an icy crust. The hobbits had a hard time with it, so they stayed in the back with Arianna and Boromir while the rest of the group walked in front, breaking a path for them.

Because of the traveling situation, there was much less conversation between any of them. Everyone was too busy concentrating on where they were stepping so as not to slip. Pippin was the first of them to have such an encounter with an icy patch, and because they were going uphill he couldn't stop himself from rolling until Arianna was able to get in the way. She decided to make this her job, and walked a bit behind the group just for that purpose. Gimli was the second to take a fall and this time Arianna was ready and was able to get in the way, although the dwarf almost bowled her over. When he got on his feet again, he had so much snow in his hair that it stood up on end. She shook with silent laughter as he trudged up the hill again and found the helmet that had fallen off. When he put it on, all the snow squished out around his ears, making it look as if he had snowballs growing out of them. That thought kept her entertained for a while.

Arianna was currently wondering what would happen if she were to slip. There wasn't anyone behind her, so would she keep rolling until she reached the bottom? Or maybe momentum would take her all the way back to the entrance to the pass. Suddenly she heard a yell from up ahead. It was Frodo who fell this time. She quickly got behind him before he rolled off to who knows where. She was helping him brush off his cloak when he realized that his necklace with the ring wasn't around his neck anymore. She looked up to see Boromir picking up the ring by its chain. She watched as Boromir held up the ring, as if admiring it in the sunlight. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The man seemed to have very little power against the pull of the evil ring. He started muttering something about their fate belonging "to such a little thing" as he reached up to it.

"Boromir." She called sharply. He looked at her as if coming out of a daze. "Give the ring to Frodo."

"Of course." He said quickly, too quickly. He walked down to them, holding out the ring. As Frodo took it quickly Boromir looked in Arianna's eyes. "I care not." He said, as if he felt guilty. She could feel her own distrust of him and wondered how he couldn't feel it too. But then he gave an embarrassed chuckle and ruffled Frodo's hair, not at all like his relaxed self. Maybe he could sense it after all. He slung his shield back onto his back and started climbing again. Arianna realized she was griping her sword and relaxed her grip on the hilt. She hoped Boromir wasn't falling pray to the ring, because she had found a friend in the man who was trudging back up the mountain.

About 3 days later, the blizzard hit. Unfortunately, it was about the same time they were starting on the part of the road that wound along the sides of the mountains along the cliff sides. Harsh wind and snow everywhere was not a fun combination with a steep fall only a few steps to your right. The snow soon got so deep that the hobbits couldn't keep their heads above it. Arianna was carrying Frodo and Sam, while Boromir had taken charge of Marina and Pippin. Gandalf walked in front with Gimli behind him to break up the packed snow and make it easier for them. Legolas scouted ahead through the many twists and turns thanks to his ability to walk on the crust of the snow.

At one point Legolas walked ahead a bit, but stopped on the edge of the cliff as if he was listening to something. Arianna watched him as she struggled forward. He turned and shouted back to the group.

"There is a foul voice on the air!" Once he had pointed it out, Arianna could hear it too. She could barely hear it over the wind, but it was there. She silently congratulated him on hearing it at all.

"It's Sauromon!" Gandalf shouted. He then stood up and started shouting some sort of spell into the wind. The rest of the group stopped their struggling through the snow, as they weren't going anywhere anyway. Legolas walked back and jumped into the trench Gandalf and Gimli had made; checking to make sure the hobbits weren't frozen yet. He looked Arianna in the eyes. He could see that she was tired, and she was pale from cold. Suddenly there was a huge crack, and lightning hit the top of the mountain. Everyone looked up, only to see tons of snow falling towards them. Everyone rushed to stand as close to the mountainside as possible. Arianna threw herself over Frodo and Sam, and Legolas ducked down next to her, an arm around her back protectively. The next thing she knew, everything was white.

She felt like she was floating for a few seconds. She was supported from all around. The thing that brought her back to herself was the cold trickle of snow falling under her hood and down her shirt. She started pushing in the direction she hoped was up. Finally one of her hands broke through into open air, and she pulled herself up the rest of the way. Then she reached down and grabbed Frodo and Sam and pulled them upwards. When their heads and shoulders were out of the snow, she let them go, letting the loose snow pile under them and support them from underneath. It was a welcome rest for her arms. She watched as Gimli's head suddenly popped up out of the snow like a rabbit, and Boromir pulled Marina and Pippin to the surface. Gandalf was already above the snow, and watching to make sure they were all there.

"Gandalf, he's trying to bring down the mountain on our heads. It's not safe here!" she called to the wizard.

"Why go over the mountain when we can go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria." Gimli said. Gandalf had a strange look on his face. It was a mix of indecisiveness and fear. She didn't think she had ever seen him look so weary.

"Let the ring bearer decide." He said instead of giving an answer. Arianna felt Frodo's head jerk up. She thought Gandalf was being a bit unfair, putting all the pressure on him.

"We cannot stay here; this will be the death of the hobbits!" Boromir shouted. Arianna glanced back and saw Marina and Pippin shivering uncontrollably, both pale and red nosed. She squeezed Frodo's shoulder, showing what support she could.

"We will go through the mines." He finally said. Personally, Arianna was thankful. She was willing to go anywhere without snow at the moment, and the mines sounded much better than continuing through these mountains. Best of all, they wouldn't have to go all the way backwards. They'd only have to retrace their steps for a few days before finding a valley, which would lead them almost straight to the gates of Moria.

"So be it." Gandalf said gravely, and for a moment, Arianna wondered if the mines were really a good idea. The way Gandalf sounded, he was dreading it. But the decision had been made, and the group turned around. Thoughts of warm campfires kept them going long into the night. When they finally left the dangerous mountain paths, the blizzard stopped. Sauromon must have been behind it, because the timing was too convenient. But whether it was magic or not, everyone was grateful to be able to build a fire without it blowing out right away. That night was the first relatively warm one they had had for days.

After continuing on their trip for about four days, they came to the valley Gandalf had spoken of. They turned into it, and went on. Unfortunately, the valley was almost sheer rock, and they were hard put to find wood for fuel. They got into the habit of picking up anything they found along the way and putting it in a bundle on the pony's back. The rock walls rose steeply on either side of them, and there was nowhere to go but forward. At least they wouldn't have to worry about getting lost.

They'd been walking for three days when they came to a large lake. Gimli stopped and stared. "The walls of Moria." He said reverently. The group made their way along the edge of the water and the cliff face. When they reached the outer walls of the mine, Gimli started tapping the rock. "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed."

"Yes Gimli," Gandalf said. "Sometimes their own masters cannot find them, and their secrets are forgotten." Arianna snorted.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas said sarcastically. At this she chuckled softly, she could imagine Gimli rolling his eyes right about now. Gandalf came to a halt between two very twisted trees. It looked to Arianna like they were in agony with their bizarre shapes. Frodo and the hobbits hurried forward. Frodo's foot splashed into the water and he jumped back as if burned. Arianna looked suspiciously at the lake. Something about it bothered her, but she couldn't tell what. She looked back at the wizard to see him running his hands over some very faint lines in the cliff face.

"Now, let's see. Ithildin, it mirrors only starlight and moonlight." He looked at the sky just in time to see the moon appear from behind the clouds. Possibly done by the wizard himself she realized. The lines started to glow. Arianna stepped forward in wonder. It was beautiful. The doorway looked like an archway of trees, with a star in the center. Gandalf raised his staff and pointed to the words carved along the top of the doorway as he read. "It reads 'The doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter.'"

"What exactly that mean?" Marina asked, curious.

"Well it's quite simple." Gandalf answered. "If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." He then placed the head of his staff of the star in the center of the door and spoke a command. "Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen." Which Arianna knew to mean 'Gate of the Elves, open now for me.' But nothing happened. The wizard stepped back and said something else. "Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth lammen." Which ment 'Doorway of the Dwarf-folk, listen to the word of my tongue.' Arianna sighed and changed her footing, she had a feeling they might be here a while.

"Nothing's happening." Pippin said, stating the obvious. Gandalf glanced at him annoyed, then tried to push the doors open by hand. He then stepped back, puzzled.

"I once knew every spell in the language of men, elves and orcs."

"What are you going to do then?" Pippin asked, oblivious to the gray pilgrim's frustration.

"Knock your had against them, Peregrin Took, and if that does not shatter them then I will at least have peace from foolish questions." Arianna glared at him, and he must have seen, because he took a deep breath and said in a calmer tone "I am trying to remember the opening words." He then went to a nearby rock and sat on it. He pulled out his pipe and stared at the doors, muttereing to himself. Knowing that this was the way he thought best, Arianna dropped her things against the cliff. A hint to everyone else that this might be a long wait.

After they'd been sitting for a while, Arianna stood up and stretched. She walked over to where Legolas had taken up a perch under one of the twisted trees.

"Why did they grow this way?" she asked him in whisper so as not to disturb the muttering wizard.

"I'm not sure." He said in the same quiet way, sounding thoughtful. "I've never seen trees grow this way before. But usually they don't grow in rock like these. I think they were planted here magically. There's no way a tree would grow here on its own."

"Then maybe they look strange from the magic, or maybe the lack of nutrients. If they were forced to grow on what little nutrients there are here, no wonder they look so terrible."

"Maybe…" he said as he rubbed his hand over the trunk. Arianna smiled, shook her head, and left him to his thoughts. She went over to where Sam was slowly taking the provisions from the pony's back. She helped him with the last of them, and untied the lead from the bridle as Sam patted him on the nose.

"The mines are no place for a pony, Sam. He'd be miserable; you know that, even if Bill is the bravest pony in Middle Earth." She said softly to the sad hobbit.

"Buh-bye Bill." Sam said, and the two of them pushed the pony into the direction of the valley.

"Don't worry Sam," she said, patting him on one dejected shoulder. "He knows the way home." They both turned when they heard a splash. Arianna's breath caught in her throat as she saw Marina throw a stone into the water, aiming at an old tree in the middle of the lake. She hurried forward and caught Pippin's arm before he could throw his stone. "Don't." she said, quiet but stern. "Try not to disturb the water. I don't trust it." She watched as the ripples from Marina's stone spread, but they didn't stop. Something was moving where the rock had landed. Just enough to cause a tiny ripple of its own.

Suddenly there were tiny ripples coming from many different places. What was making them? Were they a bunch of little creatures? Or one who moved really fast? Most importantly, was it/they dangerous? She stood back a bit, the hobbits following her away from the edge of the water which was surging slightly. Boromir came forwards and stood next to her. They watched as the ripples got larger. Suddenly a load groan from behind them made them spin around. The silvery lines had been replaced by an open door of stone. A burst of stale air came out and clouded their faces. Arianna suddenly didn't like the idea of going into the mines at all, no matter how cold it got in the mountains.

But the group started filing towards the entrance, she and Boromir once again bringing up the rear. They looked at each other, and he stood back mockingly waving her toward the door. She glared playfully at him, but went in. Gimli seemed ecstatic.

"Soon master elf, you'll be enjoying the fabled hospitality of the dwarves!" Arianna had to smile. She didn't think Legolas would enjoy the dwarves welcome much more than Gimli had enjoyed Rivendell. "Roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone!" when she saw Legolas grimace she had to remind herself of where they were to keep herself from laughing. "And they call it a mine. A mine!" Gimli laughed, but Arianna's giggles were gone. There were things here, dead ones. She could see the shadowy bodies lying all over the place, and stopped short. It was Boromir who gave her thoughts voice.

"This is no mine, it's a tomb." The hobbits jumped back from a nearby corpse as if they'd just noticed it, which they probably had. Gandalf brightened the crystal in his staff and they clearly saw the arrows riddling the bodies of the dead. Legolas pulled out one of them and inspected the tip.

"Goblins!" he growled as he threw it down and drew an arrow of his own. Gimli was moaning over the bodies as if he had personally known them all. Arianna drew her sword, and saw Boromir do the same.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan." He said carefully. "We never should have come here." Arianna wanted to glare at him but was too busy keeping a sharp eye out. Frodo had made the decision, and she didn't want him blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault.

"Let's just get out of here." She said calmly, as if they had simply found a dead end in a garden maze. They were carefully backing out of the mine when she heard a sudden yelp behind her.

"Strider!" she heard Sam call frantically. She whipped around to see Frodo being dragged towards the water by a large…snake…thing. Then she saw the suckers on it and realized that it was tentacle. If one tentacle was that big, then the monster itself had to be huge! Sam hacked at the arm until it let go and pulled into the water, as if defeated. Arianna could smell a trap and rushed forward, but before she could make it, a multitude of tentacles flew toward the ring bearer and slapped the other hobbits away. One of them grabbed Frodo around the ankle and pulled him into the air over the water. Another was wrapping itself around Frodo's face, but Legolas was able to shoot it before it got a good grip.

As Frodo gasped for air above them, Arianna and Boromir rushed into the water and splashed around; slashing at any bit of the creature they could reach. Tentacles fell like a forest of trees, soaking them both. In desperation, one arm tossed Frodo to another, and a head like thing rose out of the water. It pulled Frodo over its mouth and opened is jaw. It was going to swallow him whole! Arianna followed the arm with her eyes and slashed at it, cutting it clean off in her rage, and the tentacle dropped, loosening Frodo who was caught by Boromir. Gandalf stood next to the entrance to Moria.

"Into the Mines!" he called to them. Boromir, still carrying Frodo, ran towards them, followed by Arianna. Suddenly, one of the appendages wrapped around her left arm and gripped it tightly. She heard Boromir call to Legolas, but was too busy trying to keep from being pulled back into the water to pay attention. Then the arm's grip loosened enough for her to get away from it, and she looked up to see Legolas shoot a second arrow into the creature's face.

She ran into the mines, dodging tentacles as she went. As the group went deeper into the darkness, the beast tried to pull itself after them. Soon it had filled the doorway with its great gray mass, but still couldn't reach them. Instead it settled its rage by pulling in the walls as they continued to run. They stopped short to look behind them, Arianna almost crashing into Legolas before turning to watch. He put an arm around her shoulders, and felt her shaking. As the moonlight faded, he felt her shoulders tense up. Her left hand reached up and rested on the one he had laid on her right shoulder. And then it was dark.

Arianna didn't think she had ever seen such darkness. She could feel it in the air, and its cold seeped into her lungs, filling them with freezing pin picks. For a moment all she could hear was her own heart beat, but she forced herself to focus on the breath of her companions. With something to concentrate on, she slowly calmed down. Legolas was breathing almost normally, but a bit shakily from the encounter. Gimli breathed heavily, more from adrenaline than tiredness. Boromir was gasping for air, like her he was tired from a battle in the water. Gandalf was breathing steadily, as if nothing had happened at all. The hobbits were all out of breath, Frodo still choking a bit from when the thing had tried to cut off his air supply.

There was a thumping sound, and light filled the cave, blinding her for a moment. Gandalf's staff glowed brightly, lighting the mines and the stairs before them. Where the entrance had been, there was now only rubble and stone. It would be impossible them to clear it out.

"We now have no choice." Gandalf said gravely. "We must face the long, dark of Moria." Legolas felt Arianna shudder again at the word 'dark', and squeezed her shoulder before pulling his hand away. "Be careful. There are older and worse things than orcs in the deep places of this world. We must be quiet. It's a four day journey to the other side. We simply have to hope that no one notices us."

"I doubt they get a lot of visitors here," Arianna said matter-of-factly, trying to lighten the mood. "And I don't think they're expecting any anytime soon." She could almost feel the hobbits relax, as well as Gandalf. She hadn't realized how upset he'd been until he did so. But before she could decide whether to confront him about it, he started forward, followed by the others. She looked at Boromir ruefully, and he once again waved her forward in a mocking ladies first gesture, and she grinned good-naturedly as they fell once more into place.

_--_

_I know, I know, another chapter so soon. I'm sure you're all complaining oh so much :P But i'm putting this chapter up purely for selfish reasons, lol. I just started posting my Holes fanfic, and was hoping people would go and take a look at it and give me your thoughts! And this the easiest way for me to spread the word On a different note, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. You may have noticed that Marina's parts are becoming less and less common. In fact, I don't think there were any in this chapter... Mostly this is because she had the first few chapters all to herself, and when the fellowship splits up, she and Arianna will both have major parts as they follow their different paths. So please review, the more reviews I get, the sooner I update!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	11. Chapter 11

What if…

What if…

Chapter 12

The journey was pretty uneventful, but there was plenty to look at. The mine hadn't been used for what looked like ages. Everything was covered in a layer of dust, and old pulley systems swung with the slightest movement in the air. Chains clanked and rotting wood creaked, as if their presence wasn't welcome. They passed through great caverns and small tunnels. It was as if the dwarves who had done the digging would empty out one place then move to another. At one point, they were walking along a ledge, which had been carved out of the rock face. Gandalf stopped and rubbed his hand over something in the wall, which seemed to glow in the light from his staff.

"The wealth of Moria wasn't in gold or jewels," He brightened the light on his staff and held it over the edge of the path, lighting up the cavern. "But Mithril." Everyone looked at the spectacle with awe. Arianna stepped forward and grabbed a nearby ladder for support. She looked down and was surprised that she couldn't see the bottom. Ledges like the one they were on continued on for what looked like forever. And everywhere along the walls, for as far as she could see, there were veins of the dark silvery Mithril like Gandalf had pointed out. "Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him."

"Oh, that was a kingly gift." Gimli said surprised.

"Yes it was. And I never told him, but it was worth more than the entire Shire." Arianna whistled low under her breath. She would have loved to see the shirt. It must be beautiful. Odd that Bilbo had never mentioned the shirt to her; she'd have to corner him when they got back and make him tell that story.

The fellowship continued on their journey, stopping only when they camped for the night. Supper that night was a quiet affair, with whispered conversations only when necessary. They slept and got up according to their body's schedules. Arianna was in the habit of waking up before dawn, and had to rely on that instinct to know when to get up. There was no night and day in the mines, and it was really messing with her head. Gimli said that the dwarves stopped the night and day schedules while working in the mines. There was always someone working, and always someone eating or sleeping. They slept when tired, ate when hungry, and worked when they weren't doing anything else. It must have been strange, loosing the sun for such a long time. Arianna hoped that their journey wouldn't be any longer than 4 days; she was already missing the sunshine and the warmth and hope it gave. The mines were just too dark and damp for her tastes.

Later on, they were climbing a staircase that was more like a ladder than stairs. It was steep, and there were dwarf and goblin remains all over it. How a battle could be had on these stairs was beyond Arianna. They probably spent more time falling onto each other's weapons than killing each other. Then they were suddenly at the top. Three doorways were in front of them, and Gandalf wasn't moving.

"I have no memory of this place." He said. Arianna sighed and put down her pack, getting ready for a wait. A short time later, Gandalf had taken up a perch in front of the doors, watching them as he thought. The rest of the group had started a fire and sat around it, surrounded by stone piles of what looked like an old double staircase. They were all grateful for the fire, and Arianna sighed happily as she felt the cold and damp wash away. Almost everyone had pulled out pipes, except Arianna, Marina and Legolas. The smell of pipe tobacco filled the air, and hung around their heads.

"Are we lost?" Pippin asked. Arianna rolled her eyes, and glanced at Boromir to see him doing the same thing.

"No" Marina answered him.

"I think we are."

"Shh! Gandalf's thinking." Sam said sounding vexed.

"Mari?" Pippin ventured.

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

Arianna laughed and said. "You're always hungry, Pippin." Pippin opened his mouth to argue, but thought about it and nodded his agreement. Frodo suddenly got up and went to Gandalf. The two of them started talking. Arianna glanced at them, and then shrugged. She got out a few rolls and passed them around. Pippin gave a gleeful cry, and everyone shushed him.

"Ah! It's that way." They suddenly heard Gandalf say, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"He's remembered!" Marina said happily as she got up. She joined the wizard in the said doorway. Everyone hurriedly picked up their things, ready to be on their way.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here." Gandalf said as he put on his hat. He placed a hand on Marina's shoulder. "When in doubt, young Marina, always follow your nose." The group started down the dark staircase. Arianna wondered why there couldn't have just been a path straight though. They had been climbing up for a long time, and now they were going down again. But she simply adjusted her pack and followed the rest of them down.

At the bottom of the stairs, they entered what seemed like a large room. The feeling of openness surrounded Arianna, although she could barely see past the bubble of light from Gandalf's staff. Pieces of broken columns littered the ground.

"Let me risk a little more light." Gandalf said, as he brightened his crystal. Arianna gasped at what it revealed. A forest of columns extended before them. Even with the bright light, the ceiling was shadowy, but she could still see the carvings on it. The pillars themselves were carved from solid rock; it must have taken generations to craft this hall. "Behold, the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf."

"There's an eye-opener, and no mistake." Arianna heard Sam say. As the group started moving forward again she continued looking around. The pillars were spaced evenly apart, and stood in a perfect pattern. Each one was carved with the exact same patterns and measurements. It was an incredible sight to behold.

They had been walking for a few minutes, when a rectangle of light appeared on their right. Arianna had to look twice to see the doorway the light was pouring through. It was very bright compared to the dark caverns they had been traveling through. But then she saw what the light was shining on in the room.

"No!" Gimli cried, running towards the light.

"Gimli!" Gandalf called, trying to stop him. The dwarf ignored him however, and the rest of them followed him into the room. Gandalf walked forward as the rest fanned out into the room. He read what was inscribed in the top of the coffin. "'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.'" He turned away. "He is dead then, it is as I feared." Gimli kneeled in front of the coffin and wailed his grief. He then started chanting something under his breath. Gandalf picked up a book from a nearby corpse and dusted off its cover. As he opened it, a page or two fell out. Arianna looked away when she saw long dried blood on the fallen pages. Legolas moved a bit closer to her and whispered.

"We shouldn't be here, we should move on." Arianna looked at him and saw him glance around anxiously. She put a hand on his arm, and he looked up into her eyes.

"I think we need to be here, at least for now. There may be something for these corpses to teach us, and we need to give Gimli a few moments to grieve." He looked away.

"I know," he said. "But I cannot shake off a feeling of something waiting for us to make a mistake. And waiting to pounce the moment we do."

"'They have taken the bridge…and the second hall.'" They heard Gandalf say. They turned to see him reading from the book. "'We have barred the gates…but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums…drums in the deep.'" He looked up gravely, and turned the page. Arianna unconsciously tightened her grip on Legolas's arm, and he put his own hand over hers. "'We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out…they are coming.'"

"We should move on--" Arianna started, but was interrupted by a loud CRASH. The entire fellowship whipped around towards the back of the room, only to see Pippin. Arianna raised an eyebrow at his guilty look. Then behind him, a headless corpse fell backwards into the well it had been sitting on, followed by the chain and bucket it had been holding. Before anyone could move, they were gone, down the dark hole, banging their way down into the shadows. The noise echoed unpleasantly all around them, winding its way through the vast halls and mining tunnels. Pippin winced and flinched at each crash, Gandalf's glare grew fiercer, and everyone else stiffened, waiting for the sound of something coming. They waited. Why wasn't anything happening? Surely that had been heard by _something._ But there was nothing. No noise or tell tale sounds of a hunt. Just silence. As one, the group relaxed. Boromir sighed, the hobbits gave a weak chuckle of relief, and Arianna and Legolas let go of the other's hands, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Gandalf slammed the old book shut with a thump.

"Fool of a Took." He walked over and grabbed back his hat and staff from the frightened looking hobbit. "Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity!" he almost shouted.

"Gandalf please." Arianna said stepping forward. "Your shouting won't help any of us, old friend." She put a gentle hand on his back and turned him away. She then put a hand on Pippin's shoulder and squeezed gently. Marina sidled over and took his hand. She knew he never tried to do such things; he just always seemed to be the one making the mistakes. He gave her a small smile. But then she heard a drum beat. Pippin's eyes widened. Then, there were more drums and more beats. One by one, they all turned to look towards the well. Marina's hand gripped Pippin's tightly, and he squeezed her hand in return. Arianna backed up toward the door, stopping in her place beside Legolas. There was a high pitched cackling laugh.

"Orcs!" Legolas cried. Boromir dashed to the door and looked out. He jumped back a moment later, two arrows vibrating where they had hit the door. Arianna jumped over to help him close the rotting doors. They slammed them shut.

As they pushed the doors completely closed, they heard a roar. Boromir saw Arianna's head snap up, then she looked at him worriedly. He sighed

"They have a cave troll." He said in sarcastic relief. He saw her eyes widen, then narrow determinedly.

"Arianna!" Legolas called from behind them. She turned around just in time to catch the axe the elf had tossed her, and she hurriedly turned and used it to bar the door. Legolas threw them a few more weapons and Boromir and Arianna did their best to barricade the door with them. They heard footsteps drawing nearer, and they backed away. Boromir drew his sword, and was surprised when Arianna pulled out her bow instead. He glanced over to see her draw an arrow, her narrowed eyes focused on the door ahead of them. He wasn't sure how good a shot she was, but her bow was every bit as steady as Legolas's.

"Arg! Let them come!" Boromir glanced back to see Gimli standing on his cousin's tomb. "There is one dwarf in Moria who still draws breath!" Legolas chuckled.

"Yes Gimli and that breath may just weaken them enough to give the rest of us an edge."

The sound of the dwarf and elf bickering as usual brought a grin to Arianna's face. She took a deep breath and waited. The orcs had reached the door, and were trying to push it open. They quickly resorted to chopping it down with their weapons. The moment one of the holes was big enough, Legolas shot. A shrill squeal was heard, and Arianna shot through another gap in the door. The two of them traded off like that, until finally the door burst open. The stooped orcs scrambled in like a flood. She quickly shot two more orcs, aiming for their eyes and throats. Legolas simply hit them right in the forehead, the arrow often going deep enough to stick out the back. In the back of her mind Arianna was impressed, you had to have a very powerful shot to go though the skull like that.

Then the orcs were too close for a bow, and she threw it into a corner where she hoped it wouldn't get damaged, and drew her sword. She ducked and parried, swung and stabbed. The orcs seemed to be everywhere. The room was soon crawling with them. She had just beheaded one of the creatures, when Sam froze, staring at the door, she turned and looked, then gasped as a huge monster smashed its way thought the doorway. This must be the cave troll Boromir had mentioned. She had heard of the beasts, and seen the stone ones from Bilbo's adventures, but never imagined how big one would look in battle. And this one was huge. She quickly dodged out of the way, and continued killing orcs as she went. She heard a cry, and turned to see Sam crawling between the troll's legs, and lying there as the monster turned around. She saw the troll lift its foot, and in a split second decision, she grabbed the chain attached to a collar around its neck and pulled. Thankfully, Boromir had seen and joined her, because she doubted she would have been strong enough to keep the troll from squishing her small friend on her own. As it was, the troll got tired of fighting against their pull and swung its large hammer around, forcing Arianna and Boromir to duck quickly.

She dashed away, once again slashing at orcs as she went. She heard a sudden crunch of armor against stone. Boromir had been flung into the wall, and lay their stunned.

"Boromir!" she cried, but he was too dazed to understand. An orc suddenly stood above him, and Arianna grabbed a sword that some orc had abandoned, and flung it across the room into the orc's throat. Boromir shook his head to clear it and looked in her direction. She gave him a cheery salute and jumped back into battle. A short time later, she noticed the troll using its chain as a weapon, and that he was swinging it towards Legolas. She started forward to help, but saw him use the chain against the beast, running along it to get onto its shoulders, and aiming an arrow straight down onto its head. She silently applauded him for his feat as he jumped off and went back into the fray.

A banging sound drew her eye to a set of stairs where Sam was getting rid of his opponents with something he knew how to use, his skillet. She almost laughed out loud when she heard him say something about 'getting the hang of this'.

But then Frodo's cry made her turn from a particularly annoying orc to see him trapped by the troll in a corner. "Frodo!" she yelled, but a sudden stinging on her left shoulder made her turn and slash the throat of the orc who had gotten her. She fought her way towards the hobbit, but time seemed to slow down. She wrenched a spear from the hands of one orc and stabbed him with it, then jumped down into the crevasse where Frodo was and stabbed the troll right in the chest. But he only seemed annoyed by it, nothing more. Her eyes widened and the last thing she saw was a giant hand coming towards her, and hitting her into the air. Her head hit a wall with a crack that even she heard, and the world turned black.

Where was she? Why couldn't she see anything? For a few moments she felt frightened, but then she calmed down and thought. She had been trying to help someone…Frodo! The troll! She had to save him! From the moment she had told Frodo about the Ringwraiths, she had wanted to protect him. She felt somewhat responsible for him. Whenever he was in trouble, the first person he called for was her! And here she was sitting in the dark! Why was she sitting in the dark? Oh yes, the troll had hit her…she had a wake up, she had to help Frodo!

She opened her eyes, but a thumping in her head made her close them again. She heard shouting nearby, and forced herself to sit up. She gripped her aching head, drawing her had away to see blood. Well, that was a fine mess. There was a great shudder, and she looked over to see a dust cloud surrounding the newly fallen troll. They had finally killed it, but what about Frodo? She jerked around, and saw a small form lying there, over the spear she had stabbed the troll with. '_Oh no...'_ she thought to herself. She tried to stand up, but fell over again, so she simply crawled over to the limp form. She sighed and rolled the hobbit over, shaking her head sadly. She felt rather that saw Sam run up and collapse against a pillar.

The body she was rolling over suddenly shuddered and Frodo gasped for breath. Her eyes widened and she helped him into a sitting position so he could breathe better. She barely heard Sam tell the others that Frodo was alive. She held him upright as he caught his breath, and then leaned back against a wall.

"I'm alright, I'm not hurt" he gasped

"You should be dead." She whispered. "That spear should have gone right through you!" Her head, which she had forgotten about in her fear for Frodo, had started pounding again.

"I think there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye" Gandalf said as he moved closer. Frodo glanced up, almost in surprise.

"Oh come on, Frodo." Arianna said sarcastically. "After a show like that, we all know there must be _something_ you haven't shared with us." She grinned at him. He grinned back, and held open the collar of his shirt, revealing a chain mail shirt made of

"Mithril." Gimli said reverently. "You are full of surprises Master Baggins." Arianna gave a weak chuckle.

"Yes, and thank goodness, or our fellowship would be short one ring-bearer." Legolas looked at her oddly, but she didn't notice. Suddenly, they heard orcs shouting in the distance.

"Everyone grab your things, I think it's time to move on. We must get past the bridge of Khazad-Dûm." Gandalf said. The Fellowship scattered and started finding their things among the many orc corpses. Everyone avoided the body of the troll, it smelled terrible. Arianna stayed sitting however. Her head hurt horribly. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back gently against the wall. She heard a small sound and opened her eyes to see Legolas kneeling in front of her.

"What?" she asked him, and heard her voice come out in a whispering croak. She cleared her throat to no avail. He handed her his water skin, and was rewarded with a small but grateful smile before she drank. She leaned her head back again, but winced and leaned forward, reaching a hand back to gingerly touch something on the back of her head. When she pulled her hand away, Legolas was startled to see blood on her fingers.

"Hold on, let me take a look at that." He said quietly. She glared at him, but it lost its ferocity when the corner of her mouth twitched.

"Are you trying to look after me, Master Elf?" Arianna asked him, but turned her head so he could see the cut. He had to wince himself when he saw it, it looked painful. But thankfully it wasn't deep enough to need stitching, just a good rinse. He grabbed his water skin again.

"This may sting" he warned her, and started to gently pour the water over the gash. Arianna made no sound, but he saw her grip the hilt of her sword hard enough to turn her knuckles white. But it was soon clean, and he plugged up his water skin again, and stood up. He reached down a hand to help her up, and she looked up at it for a moment before taking it.

He had been very gentle as he pulled her up, but somehow she still ended up leaning against his chest. Arianna felt herself blush, and she steadied herself, all the while cursing her instability. She looked up into his eyes, but instead of the smugness and arrogance she expected, she saw only worry and friendliness. She grinned at him.

"Thank you." She said, and then she turned and walked toward the bow she had flung into the corner earlier. She bent down and picked it up, checking it over for any damage, and smiled when she found none. She felt a bit surer of her feet, and hurriedly picked up the rest of her things. When Marina had finally found her throwing knife, Arianna returned it to its sheath, and the group started out again.

They left through a hole in the back wall. Apparently the troll had done it, and they were all thankful for the shortcut, as the orc army was already following them. The group ran, but couldn't yet see the doorway they needed to continue. The flood of orcs came from all directions, from behind them, and from each side. They were able to climb the walls somehow, and they climbed out of cracks in the floor, and even out of the ceiling. Suddenly they were surrounded; everywhere they looked was a sea of the hideous creatures.

The orcs snarled and leered. Arianna held her sword at the ready. She would go down fighting if need be, although she hoped there would be an alternative. Her eyes went from one orc face to another. One had mere slits for pupils; another had bright ruby red eyes. One of them was obviously blind in one eye, and another had had its nose cut off recently, the wound was still oozing pus. She heard Gimli growl menacingly, but it was almost drowned out in the sound of a thunderous rumble accompanied by a red light at the end of the great hall. The orcs glanced at each other uncertainly, their snarled replaced by worried squawks. Arianna narrowed her eyes, she didn't like this. What on earth could scare an ocean of orc warriors? A second rumble came, louder than the first, and the light grew brighter. The orcs suddenly turned and fled in all directions. Gimli chuckled happily, thinking he had been the one who scared them off. But Arianna simply looked at Gandalf. She had never seen the wizard look so tired. He leaned heavily on his staff, as he looked toward the brightening light. The rest of the fellowship watched it as well. The fiery light was none to welcoming. Arianna unconsciously reached for Legolas's hand, and he gently squeezed her fingers in comfort.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked, sounding as exhausted as Arianna felt.

"A Balrog—a demon of the ancient world." Gandalf answered heavily. Arianna glanced at Legolas in time to see his eye widen in fear. She squeezed his fingers as he had done for her as she looked back. The light was growing brighter; the creature was just around the corner. "This foe is beyond any of you…Run!" She hesitated for only a moment before following the group; they didn't need to be told twice.

_--_

_I have a schedule! Horray! And i'm already breaking it . My plan is to update this story on Mondays, my treasure Planet sequel 'The Gypsy's Curse' on Wednesdays, and on Friday, I post on 'Lucky Charms', my Holes story. Both of which I'd love if you went to chack out XD I'm putting this one up early because I won't be home tomorrow until late, and i'm going to be really busy what I _do_ get home. I spend all day today adding in the Mari Pippin scene's in the 'Two Towers' section of this story. When I get the chance I'll be doing the same for 'Return of the King'. I'm also on a roll with an Indiana Jones fafic, let me know if you're interested and i might start posting it on here too! But anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review, it keeps me humble! That way I can keep it in my signature down there :P_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	12. Chapter 12

What if…

What if…

Chapter 14

Finally the group came to a door way, and the wizard shepherded them through. The passage led to a set of stairs, and they started down. Boromir lead, but was going too fast and almost didn't stop when the stairs suddenly ended. A segment of the steps was missing. Legolas caught him, and kept the man from falling down into the depths. Arianna looked down and realized that she couldn't even see the bottom of the chasm and gulped at how close Boromir had come to being lost. The two males fell backwards, then stood and started down the unbroken set of stairs to the side. Arianna turned and saw that Gandalf hadn't moved from the doorway.

"Gandalf!" she called back to the wizard. He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"Lead them on Arianna. The bridge is near." He nodded past Arianna's shoulder, and she turned to look. There was a roughly carved bridge in the distance. It looked just like every other bridge in the mines. But it must have something special about it because the wizard had spoken of it using a specific name. She turned back and moved toward Gandalf, worry in her eyes. But Gandalf pushed her roughly pushed her away. "Do as I say!" he said harshly. She looked back again, fear, hurt, and confusion written plainly on her face. "Swords are of no more use here." He said by way of explanation. Arianna didn't know what was going on, but she did know that Gandalf was frightened, no matter his harsh words. She nodded, then turned and followed the group down the stairs. They came to another gap in the staircase. Legolas easily jumped across, then called for Gandalf to follow him. The wizard jumped, Legolas steadying him as he landed. Arrows started flying at them, and Legolas and Arianna got out their bows again, doing their best to reduce the threat. Arianna took her time, not wanting to waste a single arrow, and sighted each shot before letting the arrow fly. For each arrow she shot, Legolas shot at least three, each one of his finding a mark.

Marina was trying to catch her breath after their latest run. And she knew that they'd be running again soon, so she took advantage of the small rest. She was clutching Pippin's hand, but his grip was tighter than hers. He was suddenly more scared of losing her than of himself getting hurt. A bit of the stair suddenly crumbled of, making the gap wider by the minute.

Then Boromir was grabbing the two hobbits about the shoulders and the three of them jumped the gap just as a particularly large hunk of stair fell off. Those already across helped them steady themselves. Marina turned to see Arianna turn to Sam. He looked back at the ranger and nodded, so she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and his pack. She quickly heaved him across to be caught be Boromir. Marina grabbed the gardener to help steady him. It was hard to land on the steep steps without a nice flat landing place. Arianna was turning to Gimli, who raised his hand.

"Nobody tosses a dwarf." He said importantly. She sighed, but backed off. He leapt the gap, but almost fell himself. Legolas caught him by the thick hair on the dwarf's chin. "Not the beard!" he yelled, and Legolas pulled him to safety. Arianna grumbled to herself about stubborn dwarves when suddenly the stairs started to crumble again. Arianna pushed Frodo backwards, but almost slipped herself. For one terrifying moment, her legs swung in the air before she was able to pull herself up. Finally they steadied each other, but the gap between them and the rest of the group was much too far to jump. Arianna looked around frantically; there must be some way to get across. The roars of the Balrog were getting louder, a particularly fierce one shook some rocks loose from the ceiling. One of them hit the stairs behind them, and broke off that section as well. She and Frodo were trapped on this one section of steps. The tiny section they were on was supported by a pillar, but it was quickly crumbling beneath them. The tower of stone was starting to waver. She had a sudden idea.

"Steady," she said quietly to Frodo, "Lean forward a bit. Carefully, that's it." They shifted their weight forward as best they could without falling off. The pillar started to fall a bit towards the rest of their companions.

"Come on" she saw Legolas mutter. The stairs finally gave one last lurch and fell forwards. On the way down, her eyes met Legolas's. He nodded, ready. The column swung across the divide and slammed against the stairs below them. A moment before impact, Arianna and Frodo jumped. For a moment, she forgot everything else, as Legolas's arms closed around her waist and hers went around his neck. She took a deep breath and let go. The crunch of the broken pillar falling sideways brought their attention back to the present, and the group raced down the rest of the stairs, the falling column disappearing into the darkness below.

They ran. They were all exhausted, but they continued running anyway. The flames of the Balrog followed them, leaping to land behind them in the hall at the bottom of the stairs. The flames spread, creating a wall of fire. And they ran.

"Over the bridge! Hurry!" Gandalf shouted. Arianna led the way; she dashed over the bridge, then turned and made sure the rest of them made it alright. Then she noticed Gandalf wasn't following. She went to call him, but her breath caught in her throat. Over Gandalf stood a terrifying creature. It looked as if it had been carved from the darkness then dipped into a furnace. It was beast of burning shadows. It lunged forward, its cloven hooves scorching the floor it stepped on. Arianna found her voice.

"Gandalf!" she cried. "Gandalf, come on!" The wizard turned and came towards her, but stopped halfway across the bridge. He looked at her long and hard. Her eyes widened as she realized what he had meant earlier. He turned.

"You cannot pass." He called his voice cutting through the hot air. Arianna dimly heard Frodo call out the wizard's name. "I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor…" He raised his staff as it grew brighter. "The dark fire will not avail you! Flame of Udûn!" His voice had risen to a shout. The Balrog swung his flaming sword down, and it broke on an invisible shield surrounding Gandalf. In anger, the monster bellowed at him. Arianna stepped forward in worry and fear for her old friend. "Go back to the shadow." She heard him say. The Balrog stepped forward, one of its hooves on the bridge which was barely wide enough for it. It pulled out a whip of fire, embers flying from it as he cracked it over the wizard's head. Gandalf held his sword and staff together over his head. "You shall not pass!" he shouted. He slammed the butt of the staff into the bridge, a blue light-wave shooting out. The Balrog stepped forward again, coming for Gandalf.

Legolas watched as the Balrog lunged forward. He heard Arianna cry out the wizard's name. But then the bridge broke right in front of Gandalf. The Balrog fell down, roaring its fury. Gandalf slumped forward, leaning on is staff as if it was all that kept him tied to the waking world. Then he turned and started to follow the group. Suddenly, the fiery whip flew up and snaked its way around the wizard's ankle. His staff and sword both fell as the gray pilgrim scrabbled for a handhold on the stone. Frodo leapt forward, and was grabbed by Boromir. Gandalf looked gravely at the group, lastly at Frodo. With his eyes on the hobbit, he said just loud enough for them to hear

"Fly you fools!" and then he dropped. Frodo was still struggling in Boromir's hold, until the man picked up and carried him to the exit, following the others. As Boromir passed Legolas he looked back at Arianna who stood frozen where she was. He turned back to the elf.

"Get her out of here." He said gravely. Legolas stepped forward and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. She shrugged it off, but turned and followed him. They ran, dodging arrows. They came to the stairs, and Legolas watched as Arianna turned to look at the broken bridge one last time, then follow him once more. And they ran.

She followed him up the stairs, and they quickly caught up with everyone else. They did their best to hurry everyone up; they wanted to get out of the cave as soon as possible. They were suddenly outside, and surrounded by brightness. Even Arianna couldn't run any longer. She stopped and looked around. They were on a mountainside, the rock and snow a harsh welcome from the stifling caves. She reached up to brush a stray hair out of her face, and noticed that her cheeks were wet. She hurriedly tried to wipe the tears away, she couldn't be weak now! She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up into a pair of very blue eyes. She glared at Legolas and shook his hand off again, but her lips quivered and fresh tears came. She looked away, but he pulled her close. She leaned against his chest and let the tears flow. _'Just for a moment' _she thought to herself. He wrapped his arms around her. He could tell she was exhausted. She was hurting physically and emotionally.

Marina stumbled to her knees, not believing it. She refused to believe that Gandalf was gone forever. But…a part of her knew better than that. She looked down at her hands, watching clean spots appear on them as her tears fell. Pippin sat next to her and pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around him as well, and the two of them tried to comfort each other.

Arianna forced herself to straighten, and Legolas let her go. She wiped her face dry, and looked up at him again. She took his hand and squeezed.

"We should move on." She said softly. She turned and called to Gimli and Boromir to get the hobbits up.

"Give them a moment for pity's sake" Boromir called to her, grief evident in his voice.

"By nightfall, these hills will be swarming with orcs." She answered. "We need to get somewhere safe. The woods of Lothlórian aren't too far away; we can make it there if we hurry." She walked over to Sam, and held out her hand. "On your feet Sam." She said gently. He took it and pulled himself up. She bent down and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "It'll all be alright Sam. I'll make sure of it." He nodded and picked up his things, then went to help Marina and Pippin. Arianna turned and looked for the ring bearer. "Frodo?" she called. She spotted him walking away aimlessly. "Frodo!" she called again, louder. He stopped walking and slowly turned as Ari went to him. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks. The other hobbits were upset about Gandalf, but nowhere near as much as Frodo was. Arianna went down onto her knees so they were at the same level. "Frodo, I can't just give you a few comforting words and make it all better. I know you better than that. But I also know that no matter what, we _will_ complete this quest. Gandalf wouldn't want us to give up, would he?" The hobbit shook his head. "Now, we're all upset. I understand how you feel better than the others do."

Frodo looked up at her. He realized that she did understand how he felt. In fact, she was probable hurting more than he was right now. She and Gandalf had been close friend for years, hadn't they? He looked into her eyes and saw a great pain there. One that he couldn't even begin to fathom. He did the only thing he could think of to do. He threw his arms around her neck and gave her a hug.

Arianna was surprised, but strangely comforted. She could tell Frodo understood, and he had almost forgotten his own grief in his eagerness to comfort her. Odd how even her sadness could comfort someone else. She put her arms around his waist and squeezed, then let go and she stood up. She placed a hand on his back and led him back to the others. Once they were all ready, they turned toward the distant forest and once again, they ran.

As the sun started to lower in the sky the forest loomed over them, the trees looked much larger from up close but somehow they weren't daunting at all. The group jogged across the open grassy area in front of it, and then slowed to a walk as they entered the forest. They fell once more into their line, with one exception. Arianna led instead of Gandalf, and only Boromir brought up the rear. She felt a pang at that thought, but held her head high. She was already missing her job at the back of the group. There hadn't been a need for her to stay forever strong back there. She turned her head slightly to hear Gimli telling the hobbits about a white witch who lived in this forest. When he commented about people falling under her spell if you look at her Arianna almost felt an urge to laugh.

"Well here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox…oh." Arianna turned at that to see an arrow pointed right in Gimli's face, and more popping up surrounding the rest. She whipped around to find one aimed right between her eyes. Legolas had drawn his bow right back at them, but Arianna raised her hands, trying to show them that they came in peace while hinting to Legolas to put his bow down. One of the elves came forward.

"The dwarf breaths so loudly we could have shot him in the dark." He said. Gimli growled, but Arianna grinned. The group was led to a small outpost on the borders of the forest. They climbed up the ladder, to find themselves on a small platform lit with small white lights which didn't seem to flicker or dim. The leader of the band, Haldir, turned to Legolas and spoke to him in elvish.

"_Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil_." He said.

"_Our fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lórien_" Legolas answered.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the elves! Speak words we can all understand!" Gimli said angrily. Haldir turned to him.

"We have not had dealings with dwarves since the dark days."

"And you know what this dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul." Arianna rolled her eyes. That was a phrase in dwarfish she knew to mean 'I spit upon your grave' It was considered one of the greatest insults to the dwarves. They greatly respected all of their dead except those guilty of the most heinous crimes. She turned and grabbed his arm.

"That was not so courteous." She said shortly, but he looked slightly embarrassed, and shuffled his feet. She turned back to Haldir to find him right in front of her.

"And you are?" he asked.

"Arianna of the Dúnidain." She said, stepping back a bit. The high elves had a different idea of personal space than their woodland kin, but those in Rivendell had respected her personal boundaries. He looked at her in surprise.

"The Dúnidain are known to us. In fact, one of your kin has been living here for a time." Arianna blinked in surprise.

"Really? Who?" she asked, personal boundaries forgotten for the moment.

"I would have taken great pleasure in introducing you." He said, and then turned away. Arianna wondered what he meant by 'would have'. He now looked at Frodo. "You bring great evil with you." He said, and then looked back at Arianna. "You may go no further." He walked away.

"What?" Arianna asked, and she marched after him. "What do you mean we cannot go further?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." He said, sounding exasperated. He turned to one of his guards and ordered him in elvish to "_Take the annoying female back to her companions, they have to gather their things to leave_." She huffed, and answered him in the same language.

"_The annoying female will do no such thing_." She smiled innocently at Haldir, when he looked at her in surprise. "_And yes, this female will not let you get rid of us that easily._"

"_There is no real reason for you to be here_." He said, taking her elbow and leading her to one end of the platform, almost entirely out of earshot of the others.

"_Actually, yes, there is. We are being chased by an army of orcs, the Nazgul, as well as any other enemies along the road. We need all the protection we can get, and we came to _you_ for help_." She finished her whispered speech angrily_. "The road is dangerous, even though this forest, we need the help of those who know this place_."

"_I'm sorry, m'lady but I cannot do that_."

"_And why not?"_ Arianna asked. "_Surely Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel wouldn't mind if one of their outposts was left guarded with a few less than usual. We need to speak to them anyway. We don't even need your entire group, just a few to lead us though this unfamiliar land."_

"_I can't just leave my post without permission!"_

"_You must have some way to quickly contact them, just in case some danger should come against which you cannot protect, only warn."_ Arianna watched as Haldir sighed and looked away.

"_There…there are the mirrors. We could send for permission for your request."_ Arianna let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She smiled gratefully at him.

"_Thank you_." She whispered thankfully. She followed him and watched as he used a mirror to send a message in a code she couldn't even begin to understand. A few minutes later, there were flashes of light in the distance with an answer. Haldir turned.

"_Apparently we are to bring you to the Lord and Lady directly. You must be important for something."_ He smiled crookedly at her. "_You've very determined, for a girl." _Arianna smiled back.

"_You haven't met many girls then_" he chuckled, and the two of them went to spread the word to the rest of the fellowship.

They left and walked throughout the day. Arianna learned later that the city wasn't in the middle of the forest, and that they had entered through the border it was closest to. As it was they were able to make it to the city just as the sun was setting, and Haldir proudly announced it.

"Caras Galadhon… the heart of Elvendom on earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light." It was very beautiful. A handful of huge trees stood on one hill, which was surrounded by river on one side and grassy field on another. If she looked closely, Arianna could just make out what looked like stairs winding around the trunks of the trees. They went down, and soon found themselves surrounded by the large roots. They started up the stairs just as the sun went behind the ridge.

Soon it was dark, but the same white lights from the outpost lit up all around, casting a pearly glow on the entire party. It seemed to take forever. Arianna was sick of stairs, and was in the process of dreading going back down when they reached the top. They were lead along a path which connected the trees together, all the while aiming for what seemed to be the largest tree, right in the center of the grove. They were shown to a large platform, in front of a set of white stairs and a shining silver archway. They grouped together in front of the stairs, Arianna standing in front, taking her position as the leader. Suddenly the light grew brighter, and two people stepped down the stairs. Arianna touched her forehead in respect.

And there stood Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. Arianna looked at their pale skin, golden hair, brilliantly white clothes, and felt dirty. But she was used to it. Marina on the other hand preferred to be clean and well dressed when meeting royalty, and felt a terrible mess.

"The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now lost." Lord Celeborn said. He looked at the group. "Eight there are here, yet nine there were. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar." Arianna looked up slowly, to meet the eyes of the Lady Galadriel.

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land." said the lady of light. "He has fallen into shadow." Arianna nodded to her, but it was Legolas who spoke.

"He was taken by both shadow and flame: a Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into Moria."

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose." Galadriel said in her deep voice. Arianna looked down, tears prickling her eyes again. She closed them a few moments, before once again paying attention. Galadriel spoke to them, looking at each of the members, one at a time as if she was looking into their very souls.

"What will become of this fellowship?" Celeborn asked. "Without Gandalf, hope is lost."

"This quest stands upon the edge of a knife." Galadriel said. "Stray only little and you will fail. Yet hope remains as long as company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. You may stay here and rest, for you are all weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace. But before you leave," she waved a hand, and one the elves on hand left for something. "Arianna, step forward please." Arianna looked up and stepped forward. "You are of the Dúnidain?" Galadriel asked her.

"Yes m'lady, I am." Arianna answered, very puzzled.

"There is someone here who I believe you will be happy to see." Arianna's eyebrows came together in a frown. She didn't know any of the other Dúnidain very well; she could barely even remember those she had met. The elf attendant was back, followed by…

"That's impossible…" Arianna whispered.

_--_

_I know I'm late, and i'm really really sorry! But you wouldn't _believe_ the ammount of homwwork I had due today. Of course it was largely my own fault for procrastinating, but I was haveing too much fun writing stuff I actually care about I think I tripled what I had written on my King Kong Story, and my Indiana Jones story is also coming along really well. If anyone is interested in seeing either on here, please let me know! And I'm leaving you with a cliffhanger, lol. This is so much fun! Those of you who've read this story before already know what's happening, but I'm very evilly enjoying torturing all the newbies :D Ok i'm kidding...kind of. Cliffhangers really are fun, especially when most of the readers already know the story and I get to add a new twist XD Please review, especially if you want to see some of those other stories I'm doing!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	13. Chapter 13

What if…

What if…

Chapter 16

"Arianna, step forward please." Arianna looked up and stepped forward. "You are of the Dúnidain?" Galadriel asked her.

"Yes m'lady, I am." Arianna answered, very puzzled.

"There is someone here who I believe you will be happy to see." Arianna's eyebrows came together in a frown. She didn't know any of the other Dúnidain very well; she could barely even remember those she had met. The elf attendant was back, followed by…

--

"That's impossible…" Arianna whispered. Legolas was extremely confused. Who was this man and why did the sight of him make Arianna look as if she'd seen a spirit?

"Ari?" The man said questioningly. Arianna shook her head and backed up unsteadily.

"That's impossible." She said again. She looked like she was about to cry, and she shook her tears away. "You can't be here, you're dead." He walked forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. Legolas felt something; he wasn't sure what, stirring near his heart. "You're dead." She whispered again.

"No, Firefly I'm not." He said quietly. Legolas noticed her gasp at what he had called her. He wondered again who this man was, and why he had been thought dead. "I'm right here, flesh and bone, smiles and tears." The elf noticed that a tear was indeed trickling down the man's cheek.

"Aragorn?" Arianna asked, tears flowing down her cheeks as well. He simply nodded. She couldn't believe it. He was here! "But…the orc raiding party…you never came back."

"I was swept down river and practically downed on the way. I was rescued and brought here." He grinned at her, and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"It's really you, isn't it." It wasn't a question. She threw her arms around his neck and he spun her around just like they had when they were children. She laughed happily as he put her down. He slung his arm around her shoulders in a friendly way, and they turned to everyone else who had been watching. The Lord and Lady were smiling in their gentle way while everyone else pretty much just looked confused. Gimli looked happily satisfied and Legolas had a strange look on his face which Arianna couldn't understand.

"You know," Gimli said, "For twins, you two look nothing alike." She smiled.

"You'd be surprised how often we've heard that." She said, grinning from ear to ear.

Twins? Twins! Legolas felt some sort of indescribable relief and sighed happily. The rest of the group seemed surprised but happy for them as well. Well, they were all happy for Arianna at least. None of them had ever seen her smile as happily as she was now. Her brother they weren't sure about but they'd just wait and see.

The group was led down stairs again. Arianna no longer cared about how many stairs there were or how long it took to go down them. In fact, they were all the way down before she knew it, as she and Aragorn had been talking animatedly the whole way. They reached the place where they were allowed to set up their beds and hardly stopped talking the whole time they set up. Eventually Arianna stopped their conversation but only when a fellow female invited her and Marina to her home to clean up.

"What is your name?" Arianna asked the she-elf as they walked away from the fellowship.

"I'm Miria. I volunteered myself for this. I think Lady Galadriel was actually embarrassed when I offered, she hadn't even thought about it. She's so used to dealing with men that she forgets that extra attention females need." Arianna instantly knew that she like this girl. She was free with her opinions, which was often rare among the elves. She giggled in response to what Miria had said, and the three of them continued chatting all the way to her house.

Miria's home was built into the base of one of the trees, the roots winding around it, and supporting parts of the walls. Thankfully, the elf-girl had plenty of clothes to lend her, and was willing to let her keep them. She would hardly accept her thanks, but it certainly didn't stop Arianna from thanking her over and over. Marina had amore difficult time because of her size, but Miria was apparently brilliant at sewing and could easily adjust some of her own clothing for her.

They all went down to a hot spring nearby, and Arianna and Marina gratefully washed weeks of grit from their skin and hair. Meanwhile, Miria worked on Marina's clothing and talked to them. Once they were clean, Arianna and Marina combed each other's hair and put in it a special cream Miria gave them. It smelled like mint and fruit, and after rinsed out would keep her hair cleaner for longer. Miria said it was wonderful for long periods when you couldn't wash your hair, because it refused to let dirt stick.

"When you comb your hair, and you must comb it mind, all the dirt will get combed out too." She explained. They then went back to her house, and she picked out a few outfits Arianna was free to take along with her. Arianna was sorry to have to refuse. But the group needed to travel light, and changes of clothes would be much too heavy to bring along. She even regretted seeing the spare dresses being put away. They were so beautiful. They finally settled on Arianna's new traveling outfit, and Miria insisted that she borrow one of the dresses for the night. "So you can feel pretty for a while before dressing up all tough again." She said by way of explanation. Arianna laughed, but happily accepted. Marina's traveling clothes were already finished, and it didn't take long for Miria to adjust a child's dress to fit Marina wonderfully. Marina had hardly even felt so elegant. Eventually, they realized that it was getting late, and that they should be getting back. They gathered up the traveling clothes, and started back to the group.

The males of the group of the group had finished setting up their beds on the ground among their section of the roots. For once, none of them minded sleeping out of doors, as the very ground seemed as soft as a mattress. Legolas had taken it upon himself to make sure that everyone was comfortable. He had acted as translator and errand boy, fetching spare pillows and blankets from those willing to share. He wanted to see as much of the city as he could but unfortunately his mission stayed on ground level and he hadn't gotten to wander the paths woven through the branches. He was dropping off a load of blankets when the group heard giggling and laughing. He looked up along with everyone else to see three females coming towards them.

"Maybe they brought some more food." Pippin said hopefully. But then the females stopped. They turned to each other and hugged warmly. Muttering to each other, one of them looked over and started giggling. The second hit the first playfully, and then waved as the first walked away. The short one said something as well, and burst into giggles. They turned around and continued toward them. When they were close enough, they looked over and smiled.

It was Arianna and Marina. Legolas found himself barely believing it. Marina looked lovely as ever, but her femininity was heightened by the dress she now wore. And Arianna...here was the woman who had fought alongside him with both sword and bow, who had gone through all that he had with determination and focus. But it felt like he was looking at a different person entirely.

She was wearing a dress. It was sleeveless, and draped gracefully over her curves. The skirt was loose and flowy; the material caught the smallest breeze and rippled. It was a pale green color, bringing out her bright green eyes beautifully. The material was filmy but opaque, and it was beautiful. A silver chain draped 3 times around her waist to hang down on her left side, accenting her waist. A silver armband on her right arm shaped like a vine climbed down towards her elbow. Arianna's hair had been let down and it flowed down, framing her face with its soft waves. Aragorn sat on the sidelines watching the others who he still wasn't sure of. He noticed that Boromir looked surprised, but that the elf looked nothing short of astounded.

The hobbits however were too busy staring at their friend. Marina was lovely in a dress of pale lavender; its short sleeves the same sheer cloth as the sash around her waist. A wreath of purple flowers rested on her curls, ribbons curling in and around her hair. The collar was wide and swooping, showing off her collarbone and the silver necklace Pippin had given her on her last birthday. She grinned when she saw their faces, and blushed deeply.

"What?" Arianna asked when she saw the men's faces. "Did you lot forget that we're female?" As the men hurried to deny it she laughed to herself. She settled her self onto her bed and started packing up her things.

A short time later a song started from the treetops. It was beautiful music, and it twined around the branches and roots of trees.

"A lament for Gandalf." Legolas explained.

"What do they say about him?" asked Marina.

"I do not have the heart to tell you." He said as he turned. "For me the grief is still too near." Arianna looked up at him, and saw his sad eyes. She looked away; she didn't like seeing him so unhappy.

"I bet they don't mention his fireworks." Sam said from where he was setting up his bed. "There should be a verse about them." He suddenly stood up, and Arianna looked up at him. "The finest rockets ever seen, they burst in stars of blue and green," A loud snore from Arianna's right made her look over. Gimli was sound asleep already. She hit his pillow making him grunt but he stopped snoring. "And after thunder…silver showers, came falling like a rain of flowers." Sam looked down unhappily and went back to his bedding. "Oh, that doesn't do them justice by a long road."

"It was lovely Sam." Arianna told the hobbit. She looked back down at her hands in her lap. They were clean, something she still marveled at. Could she have done something more? Was there anything she could have done to save him? She didn't know, but wished that there had been something. She wished she could have spared everyone from this unhappiness.

Arianna looked around at the slightly subdued group. Then she realized that Boromir was nowhere to be seen. She stood and walked forward, and spotted him a short ways away, sitting on a root watching the lights of the Elvin city. She strolled over to him and went towards the ridge the tree was on. She stood at the edge and watched an elf couple stroll along a path below, hand in hand.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" she suggested to Boromir. "These borders are well protected, you don't have to worry." When he finally answered his voice was rough.

"I won't be able to sleep even if I try." Arianna turned and looked at him, but she let him share his thoughts at his own pace. He looked at his hands but continued. "I heard a voice inside my head. It spoke of the fall of Gondor and my father but said that 'even now there is hope left'. But no matter how I think about it, I cannot see any. It's been a long time since we had any hope." Arianna walked slowly over to him and sat down beside him. He looked up again into the distance, seeing something Arianna could not. "Have you ever seen it Arianna? The white tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver. Its banners caught high in the morning breeze. Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?" he turned to look at her. She had watched his face and she saw clearly the longing and homesickness, the pride and delight he had for his home.

"I have seen the white city, but it was a very long time ago." She told him smiling softly at the memory. The city had indeed been striking. It had shown in the sun brilliantly, looking like a beacon for all travelers.

"One day, our paths will lead us there." Boromir said. "And the tower guard shall take up the call: 'The Lords and Lady of Gondor have returned!'" Arianna blinked, then smiled; he had remembered her brother after all. She hoped they would get along well as they had so much in common. She wanted Aragorn to fit in with the fellowship so that they'd want to bring him along. She refused to leave him behind, afraid that she might never see him again. She realized that Boromir had gone back to staring into the distance. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Someday," she promised. "But for now we should all rest while we can. We have a safe place to rest our heads tonight and we should take full advantage of it." She squeezed his shoulder, and he stood obediently and went back to the others. As he walked away she stayed where she was, watching the lights twinkle through the night.

"And why are you not doing what you advised, dear sister?" Arianna turned and smiled softly but unsurely at Aragorn as he sat down next to her.

"Why didn't you come home?" she asked him softly. His smile faded, and he looked away.

"In all honesty I'm not sure." Arianna raised an eyebrow, but let him continue. "As I was healing from my near death experience I was allowed to explore. I became very familiar with the city and my strength eventually returned. I loved it here. I wanted to bring you here, I was sure you'd like it too. So one day I went to the Lord and Lady and asked them if I could send a message to you. They told me they would send on the invitation as they had a direct connection to Lord Elrond and so I left thinking it would only be a matter of time. And then…I forgot. Everything. It was like I couldn't remember anything other than the time I had spent here. I felt like I had had a life before, but I simply couldn't remember it. Then, only yesterday, everything came flooding back. I went to the Lord and Lady and asked them what had happened. They told me that Gandalf had told them not to send me back to Rivendell and not to let you come here. The only way they could see to peacefully keep me here was to make me forget. But then the connection they had with Gandalf was lost and all my memories came back." The two of them sat in silence for a few moments.

"And Arwen?" she asked him. "Why did you not want her to come here as well?" She saw him flinch.

"She obviously didn't want me, why would I take her away from her happiness?"

"What? What on earth would make you think she didn't want you?"

"Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel told me. It was the one thing they relayed to me from home: that Arwen was happily in love with another elf." Arianna stood up angrily.

"And you believed it? You know as much as I do that you two were in love with _each other_. True love doesn't shift around like that. Elrond probably told them to tell you that!" Aragorn looked up, confused. "I've never seen her so unhappy…she completely closed up to the world. She confined herself to her room for months, refusing to eat anything unless it was brought to her and we forced her to. She wouldn't talk at all. I'm her adopted sister and she wouldn't even confide in _me_!" She sat down again, out of breath from her speech. "She has never stopped loving you Aragorn, never. She never even believed that you were dead. She's held on to her hope that you'll come back to her someday."

"But…is it too late? I can't just go back now; it will have to wait until this whole Fellowship thing is over. Would she still accept me after all this time?" Arianna looked at him with a crooked smile.

"Of course she would. Its true love." Arianna stood up and kissed her twin on the forehead. "Now, why don't you go make friends with everyone, I want them to accept you as one of their own, not just because you're my brother." He stood and gave her a huge hug then walked off; fingering the necklace Arwen had given him. She followed him at a slower pace, wondering.

Why would Gandalf and the elf leaders want to keep her and her brother separated? There had to be some reason for it…but what? She came up to the group. The hobbits were all sitting around a low table which had been brought out for them, covered with mounds of food. Boromir and Aragorn had started a conversation, and were laughing about something. Gimli was sound asleep in his bed, snoring again. Legolas was pouring himself a drink from a water pitcher, but kept looking up into the trees, exploring them with his eyes. She grinned, and went over to him.

"Come on." She said simply. He looked at her confused, and she grinned at him. "I want to explore more of this place and everyone else is busy, now come on!" She grabbed his elbow and pulled him away from the glass of water he'd been pouring.

He was surprised, but happy to do as she requested. She led him to the nearest set of stairs, and started up. She turned and looked at him with a smile that made his heart do a kind of flip-flop. He followed her up the stairs watching her hold up her dress with her left hand while her right brushed the trunk of the tree they were winding around. The two of them looked around in wonder at everything they saw. Finally they reached the top and they strolled along the paths winding through the branches, pointing out some of wonders they saw to the other.

The houses here were very different from Rivendell and Legolas's home. They were all made from the same white material as the paths they walked on. It wasn't wood, but it didn't seem to be stone either. The houses sat on the branches, but left holes for some of the stray limbs to go right through the rooms. Rather than having all their rooms wide open to the world as in Rivendell, they had solid walls for the inner rooms with windows to the outer rooms which simply had pillars spaced apart to hold up the roof. The year was getting on, and the nights were getting slightly colder, but the two of them were moving around enough to keep themselves warm. They knew that the next morning the world would be chilly and damp and they asked someone if they could send some extra blankets down to the rest of the fellowship.

Eventually they came to another set of stairs going even further up. Arianna wasn't sure if they were allowed to follow them but Legolas grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs. The staircase wound around in odd directions, but eventually they came to a platform higher than all but the top most branches of the center tree. He heard Arianna gasp as she stepped up the last steps, and she walked forward to the middle of the platform. She turned slowly, looking in all directions.

"You can see forever!" she said quietly, and Legolas could hear the amazement in her voice. He walked forward and stood beside her, and they looked off into the distance.

She was acutely aware of his presence at her side. But her thoughts were bothering her again. Could she have helped Gandalf? Why had he kept Aragorn away from her? Why did he have to die? She wanted to ask him so many questions now…Was Arwen alright? Would she welcome Aragorn back? Why had Elrond been so against their relationship? How come her heart did funny things whenever Legolas looked at her? Why did everything have to be so confusing? She dimly felt her knees hit the platform, and she sat down heavily. And then Legolas was there, asking her if she was alright. She looked at him, really looked at him.

His eyes were still the sapphire blue they had been when she first saw him. He had cleaned up himself, and was now wearing some borrowed clothes made up of an ice blue tunic and dark blue breeches tucked into boots. His hair had been washed, combed and re-braided and tied back out of his face. She realized that his hands were on her arms, and that her heart seemed to be beating faster than normal. Had she fallen for him? The arrogant elf prince she had met in Rivendell was gone, replaced by a friend and someone she realized she deeply cared about. His eyes showed the same caring, along with worry for...her. She closed her eyes, and rested her head on his shoulder. He froze for a moment but then he shifted a bit so he was sitting next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. She opened her eyes.

"Was there anything I could have done?" she asked him in a voice so quiet she barely heard herself. "I could have gotten there soon enough to catch him, couldn't I?" Legolas realized what she was asking, and realized that she had been blaming herself for Gandalf's death all this time. He held her closer.

"No Firefly," he said gently. Arianna smiled a bit at his use of her old nickname. "But it's not your fault. We all knew this would be a dangerous journey, Gandalf more than anybody. No one blames you for anything. In fact we all admire you for the way you've handled things. It must be hard to be the leader of such a quest, but you've done an incredible job thus far." Arianna didn't have an answer for that. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Do you know why they call me that? Firefly?" she finally asked him. She felt him smile.

"Not really, no."

"My Uncle, Lord Elrond, said it's because I always had bright ideas as a child, usually involving pranks of some sort. Arwen said it was because I'm always her bright light no matter how dark it gets..."

"I had something different. I called you Firefly because you are the spark of hope that keeps us going. You were hurting more than any of us, but you had the courage to keep going and lead us to safety. You kept on fighting, even when you were hurt."

Arianna was speechless, but Legolas seemed to understand. He tightened his arms a bit, and the two of them sat there for a time, watching the stars appear from behind the clouds.

Back in camp Marina was still smiling secretly. It had come as Arianna and Legolas had gone off exploring and refused to leave.

"What exactly is going on in your head?" Pippin asked her bluntly as he flopped down beside her. He looked over her shoulder to watch her draw the view from their seat, of the trees with their winding stairs.

"Whatever do you mean?" Marina asked innocently, drawing the tiny dots of light which filled the tree tops.

"You haven't stopped smiling in that odd way for ages now, and I want to know why." Her friend told her, though somewhat distractedly, as he watched her draw.

"It's Arianna and Legolas." She said. When she looked and saw the confusion on his face she rolled her eyes. "They left on their own a while ago." He was still clueless. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed it."

"Noticed what?"

"They _fancy_ each other!" she said softly to him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Pippin's eyes went wide.

"Really?" he asked and Marina giggled"

"Yes Pippin." She said, sounding amused as she went back to her sketch. Pippin thought back and realized that he was right. He stared off in the direction the two had left and smiled.

"Well what do you know…" He yawned and slowly started nodding off. His head fell onto Marina's shoulder and he breathed in the scent of her hair. It reminded him of fruit and mint and lulled him quickly to sleep. Marina finished her drawing with a smile still on her face, though now from a different reason entirely.

_--_

_Woohoo! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm really happy that this is my monday update because my inspiration seems to have fled for today. I hope it returns soon, as I have many chapters which need writing. I have the ideas just not the words...writer's block stinks. Well, please review!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	14. Chapter 14

What if…

Chapter 18

Aragorn had been having a good conversation with Boromir when he saw something that made him speechless. He had seen his sister and Legolas go exploring together but their return seemed much less casual. Legolas was carrying the sleeping Arianna! The elf took her over to the bed they had set up for her and lay her down. Then he went to his own and went straight to sleep as if nothing had happened!

"What exactly is going on here?" he asked Boromir. The man smiled.

"The same thing that's been going on since the journey started." He looked over and saw Aragorn's stormy face. He put a bracing hand on his arm. "Don't worry, friend. They have a good thing going and…" he chuckled. "And I don't think they even realize that there _is_ anything going on!" Aragorn looked at him with a raised eyebrow; a trait he shared with his sister.

"Why don't you tell me all about it?" he asked, with all the innocence of an over protective brother. But Boromir was happy to do just that.

--

Arianna's internal clock woke her before dawn as it usually did. She rolled over and looked around, as she slowly remembered where she was. She sat up and looked around. The hobbits and Gimli were still snoring away but the rest of the group was waking up or already up and about. She stood and stretched, straightening her linked hands above her head.

"Good morning everybody." She said cheerfully. She then walked over and shook the hobbits awake one by one. While Frodo and Sam got up alright, slowly by surely, Marina and Pippin simply rolled back over. Arianna shook her head, smiling. She walked back over to her things, stepping around her sleeping companions and grabbed her new traveling clothes. Then she went over to Boromir and placed a hand on his arm. He looked at her and she nodded at the hobbits and dwarf.

"Make sure they actually get up." She said smiling. "We want an early start, and they'll want to be awake for the Lord and Lady's farewell."

"All I'll have to do for Gimli is mention said Lady and he'll be awake and ready for anything." He said smiling crookedly. She chuckled and strolled off. She went back to the hot springs where she had bathed the day before and quickly washed up. This would be the last hot water bath she had for who knows how long. She then shook out her new traveling clothes and put them on. She put on a loose white shirt and a pair of dark green leggings. A brown leather skirt covered her thighs, giving her outfit a more feminine look while being practical. She then put on a leather vest which had been dyed a deep green, and dark leather boots which went up to her calves. They had a small heel for riding, and wouldn't hinder her at all while walking or running. She pulled on a long coat of the dark leather next, it fell to her thighs so she wouldn't have to sit on cold ground directly, and it had small vines embroidered on the sleeves and around the neck. The ruffles of her shirt were visible at the ends on the sleeves and at the v-neck of the coat. A belt of the same dark leather as the coat and boots went around her waist, holding her sword, dagger and belt pouch. Finally she strapped on her wrist daggers, and put the knives in their sheaths.

She smoothed the fabric of the jacket. She didn't understand why Miria would never wear this outfit; it was comfortable, easy to move around in, and good looking all at once! But then she thought of all the dresses Miria had, and realized that her friend probably didn't have much occasion to need anything that required maneuverability. She wondered what her life might be like if she had grown up in a place like this. She suspected she might have gone mad with boredom. She always enjoyed her peaceful times in Rivendell but she liked to have something to do besides wander around aimlessly.

She was combing her hair when gentle hands took the comb from her. She turned around to see the Lady Galadriel. She went to bow but Galadriel simply pushed her head around so she was looking away from her. The Elf started to comb her hair.

"Please let's not be too formal now, it's too early." She said simply. Arianna grinned.

"Sorry m'lady but its not everyday you find your hair being done by a keeper of a ring."

"And unfortunately it doesn't happen often enough for me. Being a such a lady makes life a little too exciting sometimes. And I get to spend precious little time with other females." She finished combing and started doing something with her hair Arianna couldn't understand. In a few moments the top sections of her hair had been pulled back and braided straight down. The rest hung down in soft waves.

"I usually braid all of my hair m'lady." Arianna said as she turned around, "It keeps it from getting tangled."

"Yes but all you'll be doing all day is paddling down a river. This way it's out of your face but it looks lovely. You don't have to be practical all the time."

"I wasn't practical last night." Arianna said defensively, though she didn't know why she was arguing. She usually prided herself on her practicality. "I was wearing a dress!"

"I saw the dress you were wearing." Galadriel said in a teasing voice. "It was very simple, in a color that wasn't to stand-outish, and was only long enough to cover your toes with no trail at all. That is practicality." She took Arianna's shoulders. "You don't have to be afraid to stand out."

"I'm a ranger; I don't like being the center of attention." Arianna argued feebly.

"But you have to admit, it's sometimes fun to catch the eyes of others." Galadriel smiled. "But for now, you best be getting back to your companions. This has been fun, Arianna, but now we have to go back to being formal with each other." Arianna smiled and nodded her head respectfully, but as she was leaving she turned and smiled cheerfully making Galadriel laugh.

When she got back she noticed a few looks from the others, and had to smile at herself. Such clothes were bound to make anyone look good. And she had to admit, it was kind of fun to know she was being looked at. Sadly she knew the clothes wouldn't look so nice for long. They would soon get dirty and torn and she'd eventually have to find something new.

Marina had already changed into her new clothing. Miria had made brown pants much like her old ones, but had given her a new top. Now she wore a sleeveless blue vest, laced up over a light blue blouse with loose sleeves. Her old cloak had been washed overnight and now revealed the simple embroidery once more. Marina was savoring the clean fabric and wondering how long it would last this time.

The group packed their things quickly; they'd had plenty of practice. A messenger came while they finished a small breakfast and they followed him to the river. They were each given a magnificent cloak of deep moss green, which would be pinned by a brooch shaped like a leaf with silver veins. They pulled them on, and the brooches were pinned by their elven hosts.

"Never before have strangers been clad in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes." Lord Celeborn said regally as they started to load the boats they had been given. Celeborn pulled Arianna aside quickly. "The further south you go, the more dangerous it will become. Mordor orcs now hold the eastern shore of the Anduin. Nor will you find safety on the western bank." He took her elbow and led her out of earshot and into the mist. "Strange creatures bearing the mark of the white hand have been seen on our borders. Orcs seldom travel in the open under the sun, yet these have done so." He had her full attention.

"But what can we do about it? The longer we stay, the more danger your people will be in. We must move on." She told him. She looked down to see him holding out a dagger. She took hold of it and unsheathed it to see elvish runes along the beautiful blade.

"_You are being tracked_." Celeborn told her gravely in his native language. She re-sheathed the dagger and looked up at him. "By traveling down river, you have a chance of outrunning the enemy to the Falls of Rauros."

"Thank you Milord, for everything you've done for us." She bowed and they walked back.

Marina was lifting a bundle into one of the boats while Pippin sat there when Legolas came over to join them. He opened one of the bundles to reveal what looked like flattened bread without a crust.

"Lembas bread!" he exclaimed and took a tiny bite off the corner. "One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man." He explained, butting the rest back into the bundle and tossing it into the boat with the rest. As he wandered off Marina put her hands on her hips and looked at Pippin's guilty face.

"How many did you eat?" she asked, knowing without a doubt that he had eaten more than was probably good for him, especially if what Legolas said was true.

"Four." He said sheepishly and belched. Marina rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, I don't envy your stomach ache, Pip." She said and got back to work. Once the boats were all loaded, the group lined up again for Galadriel's farewell. Marina and Pippin were each handed a dagger, the hilt, sheaths and belts patterned with leafy vines. Marina unsheathed hers, admiring the blade. Pippin on the other hand didn't look like he wanted anything to do with the weapon. Galadriel told him not to fear and as she walked away Marina took his hand and squeezed it in comfort. Arianna watched as she gave Frodo a glass vial of light. Then she stopped at her twin.

"I have nothing greater to give than the gift you already bear." She told Aragorn. "_For her love, I fear the grace of Arwen Evenstar…will diminish_." She finished in elvish. Aragorn answered in the same language.

"_I would have her leave these shores, and be with her people. I would have her take the ship to Valinor."_

"That choice is yet before her. You have your own choice to make Aragorn… to rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness… with all that is left of your kin." She looked into his eyes and placed a hand on his cheek. "_Farewell. There is much you have yet to do. We shall not meet again, Elessar._"

Then Galadriel came to Arianna.

"You I may see again, although that depends on many things. You have too many choices in your future to clearly see it. I wish you luck in all of your endeavors, and offer you this one gift." She held out her hands, in them was a circlet. It was silver, with scrollwork swirling to a point at the base, an emerald shaped like a teardrop hanging off of it where it would rest in the middle of her forehead. "It would be wise not to wear it now perhaps, but you are a princess none the less. You always have been and always will be. You will discover that it has some special properties. The metal can change between gold and silver and the gem will change color to match what you are wearing. It may even change shape but I'm not sure what it will end up looking like. We shall make you a bit impractical yet I believe." Arianna looked up, amazed, into Galadriel's smiling face.

"It's beautiful." She whispered. She put it in her belt pouch and looked up again. Galadriel winked at her.

"_Farewell, Estelwen._" She said and then backed up. She said goodbye to the entire fellowship and they turned to get into the boats.

--

Legolas helped Gimli into the boat, and then settled down himself. He rowed calmly, smiling as he remembered the bow Galadriel had given him. He almost couldn't wait to try it out on something but hoped it would be a while before he had need to. They had been going down river for about an hour when Gimli sighed.

"I have taken my worst wound at this parting, for I have looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth I shall call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me." The dwarf said decidedly.

"What was her gift?"

"I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three." Legolas smiled at his friend.

"So your beauty is of the day, while Aragorn's is of the night."

"I suppose that'd be true enough lad. That means that your beauty is of the earth then?" Legolas saw who the dwarf was pointing at, and felt himself blush.

"Now why would you think that? Arianna is…well…" he didn't really know what he was going to say. How could he say she wasn't beautiful when she was the loveliest girl he'd ever seen? The dwarf chuckled knowingly but didn't say anything more, leaving the elf to stew in his thoughts the rest of the day's journey.

The trip down river was uneventful. There wasn't exactly a whole lot to do. The hobbits soon made a game of throwing rocks. They would gather as many rocks as they could when they camped at night, and the next day they would challenge each other to hit certain targets, each only getting one throw. By the end of the second day Sam was complaining about his arm and how it was about to fall off. Arianna chuckled.

"I'll take your next throw Sam." She said and he turned around and handed her his rock gratefully. It was rather sharp on the edges and almost flat, but that's all they had been able to find along the cliffs. The next target was an old tree hanging off the side of the cliffs they were passing. How it managed to hold itself up there was a mystery to Arianna, it didn't even look like it was sitting on a ledge just clinging to the side. Marina and Pippin threw theirs quickly but Frodo took his time. The first two missed in their hurry, but Frodo managed to hit the tip of one of the branches. Arianna lifted her rock and aimed, then threw. The rest of the hobbits looked at her shocked when the sharp rock cleaved right into the side of the tree. It stuck there and Sam whooped seeing as it counted as his throw. The rest wanted her to join their game but she refused. She did however continue to take some of their throws when they needed a break.

That night when they camped, the hobbits started collecting more rocks for the next day. Legolas and Gimli collected fire wood and Arianna busied herself with building the fire. When it was going strong she looked up at Boromir. There seemed to be something bothering him. She stood and looked where he was staring, at a floating log across the river. Small gnarled hands pulled up a head with large luminous eyes which stared toward their camp.

"Gollum." She explained to him. "He's been tracking us since before we entered Moria. How he managed to get through there after us, I'll never guess. It must have been difficult after the way we stirred up the orcs. I had hoped that he wouldn't be able to follow us on the river but he's far too stubborn."

"And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts the crossing will be much more dangerous." He said. "I think we should go to Minas Tirith. It would be a safer road." He turned to look at her. "You know it. We could regroup, and then we could set out for Mordor from a place of strength." Arianna shook her head.

"There is strength there, but none that would help us." She said in a matter of fact voice. Boromir seemed to snap, it seemed he was finally getting to what he really wanted to confront her about.

"You were quick enough to trust the elves." He said, his voice shaking slightly with suppressed anger. "Do you not have faith in your own people? There may be weakness and frailty, but there is also courage, and honor to be found in Men. But you refuse to see it!" Arianna didn't need a scolding and she turned away, heading back towards the fire but he grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him. "You are afraid," he continued. "All your life, you have hidden in the shadows." Her eyes narrowed dangerously but he didn't seem to notice. "You're scared of who you are, of what you are. You're afraid." She pulled her am out of his grip, but turned back to him suddenly.

"I will not take the ring within a hundred leagues of your precious city." She said in a fierce whisper. Then she turned and went back to the fire, angrily poking it back to life with a stick. She was really getting worried about Boromir; he had been acting so strange lately. Very jumpy and quick to blame. She could only hope that it would get better soon, she didn't want to lose anyone else.

--

The next night they were making camp again. It had already gotten dark; they had gone a bit further today in an effort to lose the enemy. She was out gathering fire wood when she heard an odd squeaking sound. She searched for it until she tracked it to a large tree with an old wood pecker hole. She looked into the hole carefully, not knowing what she would find. The source of the squeaking noise was immediately apparent. On the floor of the hollow sat a tiny owl. It was surrounded by the remains of its own shell. Owls never laid single eggs, so what had happened to the rest of them? She looked down at the ground and found the body of what must have been its mother. It looked like it had been killed by a pine martin. It wasn't uncommon for incubating females to be killed by them. The other babies had probably been stolen by another predator. She stood again, and looked at the hungry owl. She looked toward the campfire and back. '_There's no way I can leave it here_', she thought. _'All we're doing is rowing down a river anyway; the little thing won't be any trouble.' _Her brain argued. Her heart won. She searched and quickly found a worm under a bush and fed it to the hungry owlet. Its eyes weren't even open yet! She gently picked it up and held in the palm of her hand. To know more she'd have to be able to see it properly.

She carried it in both hands but it was small enough to still be able to stroke its back with her thumb. It was maybe five inches in length, very small. She carried it into the fire light and saw that it was still relatively young as most of its feathers were chocolate brown, excepting its chest where they were lighter and its face where they were darker. It had been out of its egg for a few days it seemed but its eyes weren't open yet.

"Where's all that wood you were supposed to be bringin' lassie?" Gimli asked from where he sat smoking his pipe.

"It's in a pile back there, I found something that needed my attention a bit more." She answered. Pippin stood up and walked over, standing on his tip-toes to see what she was holding.

"It's a baby owl!" he said surprised. Sam stood and joined him. He reached out a finger and softly stroked its back. Arianna went closer to the fire and sat down on a large rock. She reached down and found another worm, and dropped it into the owlet's open beak. Gimli came back with her firewood and dropped it onto the pile. He came over and watched.

"So what are you going to do with the little thing?" he asked her.

"Well," she said hesitantly. "I'm going to look after it."

"Look after whom?" Legolas was coming back with the wood he'd gone to collect.

"Arianna's found herself an owl." Marina informed the elf.

"And Arianna is going to keep it and help it get stronger." The ranger said. She set the hobbits to a new task. Instead of looking for more rocks to throw, they were to find bugs.

"Bugs? Why bugs?" Pippin asked.

"Because that's what they eat. This little one won't be able to hunt for itself for a while yet. When it gets older it'll eat small rodents and things. But until it can catch its own food we have to help it." When they asked how she knew so much about owls, she explained to them how birds were often brought to her when they were sick, injured or homeless without mothers. Arianna enjoyed taking care of other things, nursing them back to health and setting them free again. She helped other animals as well but birds had been some of her favorites. They were so free and graceful. She continued feeding the little owl until it fell asleep, and she placed it on her pack where it hunched up.

"It might be difficult to take care of the little thing while rowing a boat." Sam said as he dumped a handful of worms and things in the bag provided. He had found the most bugs and Arianna guessed it was because of his being a gardener. He knew best where to find them.

"I shouldn't think so. He'll probably sleep most of the way and I can always hand him to you to take care of." The hobbit blushed but nodded enthusiastically. The fellowship all settled down to sleep, Arianna keeping her eyes on the owl until she fell asleep.

When she awoke the next morning she opened her eyes to see the owl staring back at her. Its eyes had opened sometime in the night she guessed. That meant it was about ten days old. It turned its head sideways and fluffed its feathers, looking at her face as she lay there. She giggled and sat up. She held out her hand and it hopped onto it, gripping her fingers to keep from falling over. She grabbed the bag of bugs and fed it again. It gave a tiny chirp of happiness and gulped the insects down. When it was full, she placed the owl on top of the woodpile and packed up her bag. The boat ride that day was a bit more entertaining than usual. The tiny owl had found that it had a good view of things from her knee and sat there making its chirping noises. Sam fed the owl a few bugs at lunch time, after eating his own meal of course, but then placed it back in its favorite spot. Later while she, the men, dwarf and elf set up camp and kept watch, the hobbits searched for rocks and bugs at the same time.

That day set the pattern for the next week of river travel. Arianna had a fun time teaching the owl to fly, bouncing it up and down on her hand as it learned to flap its wings and they gained strength, until one day it stayed aloft. It flew happily around her with its little chirping noises until it landed on her head, much to the amusement of everyone watching. Arianna wasn't sure how she was going to teach it to hunt but was spared the task when it dived from a tree branch while she was building the fire. It came up with a small vole in its mouth and munched it happily. The hobbits were very happy that they were spared bug hunting, although Arianna kept a bag of a few larger bugs for snacks on the boat trips. Its coloring changed, and Arianna was finally able to identify it as a male. His face had lightened to white around the eyes fading to a black border for its mask. His body stayed light on the chest, but its wings had turned a beautiful light brown striped with a dull white. His eyes were bright yellow, and the way his feathers were arranged around them made him always look alert.

"He needs a name." Frodo said one night. "All you ever call him is 'owlet'." The group debated, while the subject of their discussion hunted for his dinner. Suddenly he dived straight down and pinned a mouse to the ground. He made short work of his meal and flew over to sit happily on Arianna's left shoulder.

"What about Aradan? It's elvish for noble." Legolas suggested. The bird looked at him and shook his head. Arianna giggled.

"You can tell he doesn't think much of that."

"Maybe Erynion? It means 'of the woods' in elvish doesn't it?" Frodo tried.

"Actually, I really like that." Arianna said. She looked at the bird on her shoulder who chirped and turned his head almost upside down. She laughed again. "I think we'll take that as a yes." So the owl became Erynion. Although by the end of the day, Arianna had already nicknamed him Ery to make things easier.

--

_Almost everything I said about Erynion was true. __I looked it all up. But he might be growing up a bit faster than he would have in real life. This type of owl is called a Boreal Owl. They don't open their eyes for 10 days after hatching, and are under the care of their mother for 30 to 32 days, until they can leave the nest. Even then however, they are under the care of their parents for 4-6 weeks. I know Ery matured really fast, but I needed him to so I could get on with the story. To see a picture of him go to my Bio page, there is a link at the bottom where you can see what Ery looks like. And yes, Erynion really does mean 'of the woods' in elvish. I looked that up too, lol._

_Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Only one more chapter after this and then I can finally mark this one as complete and start Two Towers! Wow...its been ages hasnt it? Since I first started posting anyway. So go to my Bio page to see what Ery loks like, and please review!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	15. Chapter 15

What if…

Chapter 15

They were rowing along the river, mostly just staring off into the distance. At first Arianna had enjoyed the quiet. It was nice to be able to simply think. But it was starting to get old. Even with a life full of excitement, there were only so many things you can think about and so many times you want to think about them. She looked up and smiled. She reached forward and tapped Frodo on the shoulder.

"Frodo!" He looked up. "The Argonath," she explained to him. "I have always wanted to see this. They are the kings of old. My kin." The statues were truly incredible. They were built right into the cliff sides, one on each side of the river. Their left arms extended, palms held forward in warning. Arianna sang a verse of a song she knew in Elvish. ""Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta.'" (Out of the Great Sea to Middle-Earth I am come. In this place I will abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world.) She looked around to see the others staring in amazement at the wonders before them. They sailed right between them, realizing how big they were when they saw that the smallest toes of the statues were roughly the size of one of their boats! And then they were gone, behind them as if they had never existed. But when they turned around, they could still see their crowns and their extended arms, almost as if they said farewell.

Now when they looked forwards, they saw what looked like the edge of the world. The river dropped off in a gigantic waterfall. The Falls of Rauros, and the end of their river journey. Although it was still early, they pulled the boats onto the shore and started to make camp.

"We'll cross the lake when it gets dark," Arianna said, laying out their plans. "Then hide the boats and continue on foot. We'll be approaching Mordor from the North."

"Oh yes?" Gimli said grumpily. "It's just a simple matter of finding out way through Emyn Muil? An impassible labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that it gets even better!" Pippin looked up, alarm written in his face. "Festering, stinking marshlands, as far as the eye can see!" Arianna smiled innocently.

"That sounds about right to me." Pippin now looked at her, alarmed. "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf." Gimli growled.

"Recover my…?! Grrr…" Arianna smiled again and turned away. She went to her boat and grabbed a pack of lembas for them to eat for lunch. Legolas came up to her, an odd expression on his face.

"We should leave now." He said shortly.

"No," she answered shortly as she shook her head. "Orcs patrol the eastern shore, we'd be caught. We'll have to wait for cover of darkness."

"It isn't the eastern shore that worries me. In my mind I can sense a shadow and a threat, and it's been growing. Something draws near, I can feel it." His gaze had been wandering over the forest, but he turned and looked into her eyes. He could tell that she believed him, and he could see the conflict in her eyes. To go or stay, both were very dangerous options.

"Well," she said slowly, "We could always get back in the boats and float in the middle of the lake for the rest of the day, that way we wouldn't be on either shore." She smiled crookedly, and he grinned back. They heard Gimli muttering something about 'dwarves not ever needing to recover their strength,' and telling Pippin to 'ignore the girl's foolishness'. Then Marina came back with an armload of wood.

"Where's Frodo?" she asked. It took two seconds for it to register in Arianna's mind, and she looked around alarmed. And just as she suspected, Boromir was gone as well, his shield leaning with his pack against a tree. She cursed quietly, ignoring the slightly shocked look Legolas gave her, and dashed off, telling them that she was going to go find him.

She ran quite a ways before she calmed down enough to realize that she had no idea where he was. She wasn't a ranger for nothing, she had a gift for seeing that smallest signs that someone had been there. She walked slower and looked around, searching for any sign of a hobbit's passing. It took a long time though, seeing as she wasn't starting at the beginning. She cursed herself now. She was making this much more difficult than it should be. She had been trying an experiment with Ery, she supposed now was the time to test it. She called him over from where he had been sitting on a near by branch, thank goodness he followed her everywhere.

"I need you to find Frodo, you remember Frodo?" she said to him. She scratched his forehead between and above his eyes, Frodo's favorite place to pet him. He gave a small chirp and flew off. She had been practicing this for a while, and had only really done it with Frodo anyway, so she hoped it would work. Frodo had been eager for the distraction, she supposed, and had probably wandered off seeking privacy that he couldn't get at camp or on the river. She continued searching for Frodo's tracks; she wasn't worried about Ery finding her, because it seemed he always knew where she was. Shortly after that, she found one of the hobbits footprints, and started following them. She came to a place where it looked like there had been a scuffle. The leaves and mast on the forest floor was disturbed strangely. She recognized the other footprints as

"Boromir." She whispered. "Oh no, what have you done?" Suddenly a chirping up ahead brought her attention uphill, and recognizing it as Ery's, she hurried up. She caught up to him and he flew close to the ground leading her along to a large stone platform. Frodo stood there looking very out of breath.

"Frodo?" she called. He turned, startled and backed away quickly.

"It has taken Boromir." He said quickly.

"Where is the ring?" she asked him intensely, stepping forward worriedly. She was startled to see the hobbit scramble away.

"Stay away!" he cried.

"Frodo!" she called. He stopped and she took a hesitant step forward. "What's wrong? I swore to protect you, remember? I only want to help."

"Can you protect me from yourself?" he asked seriously. Her eyes widened in understanding. Frodo had witnessed Boromir's change, and was frightened that he was only the first. He looked up, his eyes full of some strange sadness. He opened his hand, the ring sitting in his palm. "Would you destroy it?"

'_Arianna…' _she heard faintly. The ring was beautiful. It was so simple, yet lovely. She stepped forward. _'Arianna…Arianna….Estelwen...'_She realized she was standing right in front of Frodo, and reaching for the ring. But the sound of her elvish name shook her out of it. Instead of taking the ring, she kneeled and closed Frodo's hand around it. She gently pushed his hand so it was over his heart, and let go. She knew what he had to do.

"I would have gone with you every step of the way." She told him. "Into the volcano itself." She said softly. Frodo gave her a tiny smile.

"I know. Look after the others, especially Sam. He won't understand." With perfect timing, Ery landed on Arianna's shoulder. He chirruped and hooted sadly. Frodo scratched him on his forehead like he always did. Arianna grinned softly and looked at the ground to hide her tears. But as her eyes traveled there, something glowing caught her eye. It was Sting. Her eyes narrowed, all traces of tears gone. She stood and drew her sword. Frodo saw what she was looking at, and looked at her, alarmed.

"Go Frodo, you have to escape." When he didn't move, she almost glared at him. "Run!" She said again, louder. He nodded and turned, his cloak whipping out of sight as she walked around the corner of the stone platform. An army of angry Uruk-hai in front of her. She walked forward, pulling her sword up in front of her face, showing them that she was ready for battle. They growled and some laughed, she was only a weak female after all. She set out to prove them wrong.

Arianna stepped forward and cut one right across the stomach, he fell over dying painfully, and prompting his brethren to action. As they swarmed forward, she kept swinging, bringing them down left and right. One of the Uruk-hai, who looked like the leader, shouted.

"Find the Halflings! Come on, find the Halflings!" Arianna's eyes narrowed and glinted so dangerously that the Uruk-hai she was fighting actually looked terrified. In her anger she simply chopped off his head. They would never get through her, but she needed to find Frodo to help him get away. The Uruk-hai were too many though, they were forcing her back, making her go up the stairs to the platform sideways, not looking where she was going.

Afraid of being trapped, she shouted a war cry and jumped, stabbing an Uruk through the top of his head. Just at that moment, Legolas jumped out from behind the ruin, felling a monster with each arrow he shot. She didn't think she had ever been so glad to see him. Gimli followed the elf, swinging his axe into the neck of an Uruk-hai, and Aragorn's sword shot out into the heart of another. Arianna swung her own sword, keeping herself alive, and killed the last of the group that had attacked her on the stairs.

"Arianna, go!" Legolas shouted, still shooting. She didn't need to be told twice. She started to follow Frodo, but as she passed the elf she stopped, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't die out there; I need to return that at some point." He said with his crooked smile. And then she went. She started down the hill, fighting as she went.

Marina and Pippin ran along a hill, hiding in the brush the best they could. Everyone else was off fighting, and the two of them had been left back at camp when they heard the battle begin. Now they ducked into the brush as a troop of Uruks ran down the hill they were on. Marina raised her head the tiniest bit and saw none other than Frodo hiding behind a tree only a short way away. As the last Uruk went by, she whispered as loud as she dared.

"Frodo! Quick, this is a safer spot to hide!" she said, waving him over. For a moment she thought he was going to come over, but instead his eyebrows pulled together in a sad and frightened frown. He shook his head hesitantly. Marina's eyes widened in understanding. Pippin however was still confused.

"What's he doing?" he asked her.

"He's leaving." She told him simply. Frodo heard her and looked down, glad she understood.

"No!" Pippin said, standing and going towards Frodo.

"Pippin, stop!" she whispered, but stood and followed him into the open. She looked down at Frodo. "Go Frodo, run. And good luck." She turned to the Uruks up on the hill. She shouted and jumped to get their attention. "Hey! Hey you! Over here!" Pippin joined her shout with his own, and the two of them started running.

"I think it's working!" Pippin said excitedly.

"Of course it's working, run!" They soon lost track of where they were going, at this point they were simply trying to keep from getting caught. They ran across an old stone bridge but stopped on the other side when they saw a huge Uruk coming right at them. They turned to go back, but the entire Uruk-hai army seemed to be waiting for them. Marina spun around looking at the charging Uruk-hai. Pippin suddenly grabbed her and held her close, and they both shut their eyes expecting to die any moment.

But then Boromir was there, killing the charging orc and throwing knife into the throat of another. Marina and Pippin regained their composure and used their own short swords to bring down a few orcs themselves.

Meanwhile, the four humans, elf, and dwarf, were fighting in different areas along the hillside. Arianna stabbed one in the back, and turned to see Legolas push one of his arrows though the throat of one of the Uruk-hai, then shoot the same arrow into another. '_Why waste arrows?'_ she thought to herself. Suddenly an orc was able to disarm her, and wrapped his hands around her throat. She was scratching, kicking, and stabbing him with one of her hidden knives to no avail, she couldn't reach any fatal places. Finally Legolas shot him in the back of the head and he dropped. She grabbed her fallen sword and chopped right through an orc that was about to hit the elf's back.

"My thanks." They said to each other at the same time. They grinned and went their separate ways once more. Suddenly they heard three blasts of a horn.

"The Horn of Gondor." Legolas said anxious.

"Oh Gods, Boromir!" Arianna cried, and she charged down the hill, racing toward a man she had come to think of as another brother.

Arianna heard the Horn of Gondor again. She ran down the hill as fast as she could, which at the moment seemed much too slow. Orcs came at her from left and right, and she killed them as quickly as possible in her haste. As she ran, she saw Boromir, Marina and Pippin fighting orcs, and trying to keep from getting surrounded. But then she saw something that made her heart stop. The Uruk-hai leader was standing on a ridge, aiming his black fletched arrow straight at

"Boromir!" she shouted desperately, knowing there was nothing she could do. He turned around, and jerked back suddenly, the black arrow in his left shoulder. He fell to his knees. Arianna spun around, slicing the chests of two orcs open in the process, and continued downhill. Then to her horror, she saw the Uruk-hai leader raise his bow and shoot again. "No!" she screamed in her fury. But Boromir fell once again to his knees, the second arrow in his stomach. She saw him look at Marina and Pippin who had frozen in shock, swords still in their hands, all their practice seeming useless in their minds. Marina had tears flowing freely down her face. Arianna saw Boromir gather his strength and stand again, swinging at another Uruk. The leader shot yet again, the arrow finding Boromir's chest, and staying there. Even on his knees, he swayed, and blinked as if he was simply tired. The horn of Gondor he always carried so proudly was cloven in two, hanging useless from his belt.

Arianna was still fighting, and she felt like she was getting nowhere, she had to help somehow! Then she saw the two young hobbits grab their swords and charge the Uruk-hai, wanting revenge for their large friend, but they were simply grabbed and carried off, yelling and trying to get back to Boromir's side. The Uruk-hai troops simply walked away from the man, as he watched helplessly. The chieftain stopped in front of him though. He pulled back the bowstring, preparing for one final blow, and Boromir looked up, swallowed and stared right back. But then, Arianna was through! Right before the leader let loose, she ran and jumped, crashing into him. Unorthodox, but it worked.

They traded blows, but she was soon disarmed, and the leader threw her backwards into a tree. She used its support to stand and he threw a shield at her, the long points on the edges catching her around the neck and pinning her to the tree. She pulled at the rough metal as hard as she could but could barely get it loose. She saw the orc come towards her and prepare to swing. In her panic, she was able to wrench the shield enough that she could turn her head sideways and escape. She pulled out the knife Lord Celeborn had given her and stabbed it through the monster's leg. She crawled frantically, searching for her sword. When she found it she turned, just in time to see the Uruk pull the dagger from his leg and lick off his own blood, making her gag herself. Then he threw the dagger at her, and she swung her sword, knocking it off course. She saw Boromir fall backwards against a tree out of the corner of her eye, and her anger returned full force.

She jumped up and charged the leader of the Uruk-hai. She swung and in a flurry of blows she chopped off his arm and stabbed him in the chest. He looked down, as if it didn't hurt at all. She wondered fleetingly if they even felt pain, as he grabbed the sword and pulled it further through his own chest. He roared in her face, and she gave him a death glare, ripped the sword from his chest and sliced his head right off and the rest of his body crumpled to the ground.

She let the tip of her sword fall, resting on the ground as she panted heavily. Then she hurried over to where Boromir lay, limping slightly. She saw Aragorn there, and he sat back when she dropped to her knees on Boromir's left side.

"They took the little ones." He said, speaking becoming difficult for him.

"Hush, it's alright." She said softly, resting her hand on his arm.

"Frodo…Where's Frodo?" he asked. She sighed.

"He's gone on alone." She whispered. She saw Aragorn look at her with surprise, but he didn't comment. Boromir smiled through his pain.

"Then you did what I could not. I always knew you were stronger than I. I tried to take ring from him."

"The ring is beyond our reach now."

"Please forgive me. I could not see it. I have failed you all."

"No!" she said with a quiet fierceness. "You haven't failed anyone. You fought bravely, and kept your honor." She reached down to one of the arrows, preparing to take it out.

"Leave it." Boromir said, "It is over. The world of men will fall, and darkness will flood over us. My city will fall to ruin." Aragorn leaned forward now.

"I don't know what I'll be able to do yet, but I swear to you I will not let the white city fall." He promised.

"Nor our people fail." Arianna finished.

"Our people?" he said, almost confused. "Our people." Arianna grabbed his hand, and he gripped it tightly and pulled it over his heart. She felt her lip quiver and tried to keep it still. He looked at Aragorn.

"I would have followed you my Brother…my Captain…my King." Aragorn nodded back to him, speechless. Boromir turned to her. He reached for his sword, and Arianna helped him to pull it to his chest.

"Ari…I'm sorry." She shook her head.

"You have nothing to apologize for." She told him.

"I was unwilling to accept you for what you are. Gondor _does_ need a king, and you being our Queen would not have been a bad thing at all." He looked over her shoulder into the distance. "Maybe that's what it needs most…a feminine touch." He looked back into her eyes. "I would have gladly followed you into battle. Maybe even to the alter someday." She swallowed a sob and bit her lip. "But I know that you will find your love reflected in someone else. And I know he will be good to you, how could he not?" his voice was getting quieter. "Goodbye, Firefly. You were the light that kept these dark days enjoyable."

Arianna didn't even bother trying to hold in her tears. They trailed down her cheeks as she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. And then he was gone. She sat back, and her brother leaned forward.

"Be at peace, Son of Gondor." He kissed Boromir on his brow, then stood up and backed up. Arianna sniffed and pulled her hand out of Boromir's and placed it on top of his other one, over his sword and his heart. She stood as well, and backed up. She found herself slightly ahead of Legolas and Gimli was next to her brother.

"They're still waiting for him." She said quietly "They'll be watching the road for his coming, from the white tower. But he won't be coming." She reached back a bit and found Legolas's hand. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, as she cried softly into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist as he rested his cheek on her hair.

The four stood there for a few minutes, thinking of their departed friend but they soon agreed that they couldn't leave him here. They didn't have time to bury him, but they were near the falls. They could give him a small sending that way. Arianna went back to camp to empty one of the boats, and arranged Boromir's shield at the head of it. The other three brought his body, and they arranged it with his sword and pack. Then they all went out into the water, holding the boat from floating away for now. Aragorn started singing. It was the song they sang while taking a body into the tombs in Gondor. Arianna joined in, shakily at first, but her voice grew stronger as she sang. Legolas said the prayer of his people, and once again Arianna joined in. Aragorn had been spared the funeral of one of their childhood friends, and didn't know the elvish prayer. Finally Gimli said the quiet prayer of the Dwarves and they looked at each other. They all gave the boat a little push and waded back onto the shore as it made its way slowly to the falls and watched as it tumbled over the edge. Legolas shoved one of the other boats into the water.

"Hurry," he said, "Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore." Arianna sighed, but didn't move. "You mean not to follow them?" he asked, moving closer. She looked at him.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands." Aragorn said.

"Then it has all been in vain. The fellowship has failed." Gimli said grimly.

"Absolutely not." Arianna said, walking toward them. "As long as we hold true to each other, we will _always _be a fellowship." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, we cannot leave Marina and Pippin to the horrible fate that awaits them. Not while we have strength to save them." She smiled confidently, and placed her other hand on Legolas's shoulder. Gimli smiled through his beard, and placed his hand over her arm. She looked at Legolas who simply looked into her eyes. She smiled, knowing she had his support.

"Leave all that can be spared behind, we travel light." Aragorn said. Arianna grabbed her freshly cleaned dagger and sheathed it with a snap.

"Let's hunt some orc." Arianna said with a smile on her face. Aragorn ran off into the forest.

"Yes! Ha-ha!" Gimli said, and followed him. Arianna looked at Legolas, who grinned at her. She beamed back, knowing what he was thinking.

"On your mark…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Gaspeth, I can't believe its not butter! I mean...that its over! I can finally eat now, yay! I wouldn't let myself get dinner until I posted this. And I know its late, and i'm reeeeally sory about that. But its been another crazy couple of days again ._

_Well, on to other news, as you well know, this was only the first movie, there are two more to go! Aren't you excited? I am! I haven't finished writing the third one yet, so I don't know what's all going to happen any more than you do The sequel to this story shall be titled "And Then...", and will be up next Monday to get started on Two Towers! Its shorter, but its full of so much fun stuff, I'm sure you'll all love it! Well, i'm off for now, thank you for reading this entire story, and I hope to see you on the new one! Please review, it'll mean the world to me!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


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